


Tales of Yore: Book 1

by iamconstantine



Series: Tales of Yore (RotG) [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, F/M, Flashbacks, Flashbacks are in anachronic order, Fluff, Gen, Jamie and Jack bonding, Mostly movieverse but some bookverse, Multi, Narcoleptic!Mute!Sandy, OCs - Freeform, OUaT sypnosis, Other, Teenage!Tooth, rainbow snowcone, some violence but not much
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-15
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-03-01 16:44:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 66,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2780384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamconstantine/pseuds/iamconstantine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackson never intended to stay in Burgess. However, that was before he met Jamie Bennett, a young boy convinced that Jackson is the mythical Jack Frost. And it's not only him, it seems that everyone in town has a mythological counterpart. The college student studying in dentistry, the Australian farmer/flower hop owner, the Russian toymaker, the narcoleptic innkeeper, even the mysterious bank owner. But more light sheds on the situation, and Jackson finds himself wandering deeper and deeper into a world of mystery and magic. In the meantime, the tales of the Man in the Moon's chosen beings are told in memories of good and bad. Soon, myth and reality merge into one...(INSPIRED BY ABC'S ONCE UPON A TIME, BUT NOT A CROSSOVER)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fall of the Guardians

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Rise of the Guardians or ABC's Once Upon a Time. The plot was simply inspired by the television series.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And one by one, they all fall down...

Darkness.

That’s what Jack Frost had first remembered. That was his first memory of a Guardian was. The darkness, surrounding him as if it were the only matter to exit, as if it intended to engulf him. He had been so cold, so deathly cold and afraid, that he thought that if there were a feeling of death, that was it.

But then there was the Moon, beaming through the darkness as a sword of light. The Moon made the darkness flee in fear, made it release him. The coldness did not leave, but it became as familiar as walking. He did not notice it.

And the darkness, it was still there, it was still present. And when they battled the seeming personification of darkness and fear…well…he thought it was gone for good.

But no, it would stay forever.

And it was coming for them.

To be honest with himself, he was terrified. Jack’s heart did not beat, though it actually never did. It was frozen, excuse the pun. But if it were beating, it would be breaking his frosted ribs with each impact. He could not sweat, either, but he felt frost gathering on his cold, snowy skin. His grip on his staff was tight. He couldn’t think of anything else to do with his hands.

To his chagrin, he was not the only one afraid. The others were nervous, too, even the Russian warrior. Even he did not know what was coming. Their only hope…was nowhere to be found…

But still, Nicholas Saint North stood tall and solid. He refused to sit in the large red chair made just for his bulging frame. “The hour draws close,” he told them in his thick Russian accent. His blue eyes were icy. “There is no time for hesitation.”

The Guardians nod in understanding. Cottontail was uncharacteristically quiet. He had not complained on his delay in Easter-preparation progress. Jack went as far as to call him ‘The Easter Kangaroo’, but Bunnymund didn’t bat an eye. It was almost as if he hadn’t heart him.

To be fair, there were only seven of them present.

There was supposed to be nine.

North leans forward, his massive hands pressing into the mahogany of the grand table. “Fear is not affordable. Sandy, are you ready?”

The Sandman nodded without an image appearing above his head. He had always had the habit of drifting to sleep at random times, but he was wide-awake now. The images above his head were scarce and only generic.

“Cupid, are the cherubs prepared?”

The Guardian of Love nodded. In his crimson tailcoat and snowy slacks, his eyes the color of rosebuds and his hair as dark as hickory, he wasn’t anything like Jack had imagined him to be. Though, to be fair, the Easter Bunny wasn’t a small widdle rabbit the color of marshmallows, and the Tooth Fairy wasn’t a glittery ballerina with a magic wand. So he wasn’t too surprised that Cupid wasn’t a pudgy baby in a diaper with tiny wings. Not even his cherubs resembled such things. They were tiny, pink things, with fluffy red feelers on the sides of their heads that fluttered as wings. Cupid didn’t like to talk much.

“Bunnymund, the portal. Attend to it.”

“Aye, mate.” The six-foot-tall rabbit bounded out of his chair and darted for the doors. His role would be vital.

“Then we are ready.” North unsheathed a sword from his belt. He took a deep breath. “If anything happens tonight…it has been an honor serving with you all. Tooth, come.”

“…”

“Tooth!”

The fairy’s head snapped up in response. Jack was worried for her the most out of the others. Toothiana, the giddy, cheery, never-frowning queen, was as quiet and as dull as rain. She had not smiled in days. She solemnly spoke out of the boundaries of business. Even her wings were out of balance, constantly stuttering and allowing her to lower occasionally. As worried as Jack was about her, he was shocked—and amazed—when she appeared today with twin swords as sharp as razors. Even her Mini-Fairies sported copies of them, as small as needles. Baby Tooth fluttered close to her queen, placing a tiny hand upon her cheek. Toothiana gave her a sad smile before turning to North with a curt nod. “Let’s go.”

“Jack, come.”

Jack stood so quickly he had to tell himself to calm down. He was too jumpy for his own good. He was sure he’d start a blizzard if he were not careful.

And when Jack turned, he turned to an eleven-year-old boy with chocolate eyes and chocolate hair, who reminded him of his sister, who he knew was taking a staggering risk, who he knew was undoubtedly terrified.

“C’mon, Jamie.”

As he, the boy, and her royal Majesty followed the Russian soldier out of the hall, Jack turned to Toothiana wordlessly. Her amethyst eyes were downcast to the floor ahead. If she noticed him looking at her, she did nothing of it. Her Mini Fairies’ eyes were locked onto her face.

“Tooth.”

Her eyes finally rose to his. Usually glittering like gems, they were now as solid as stones.

“Are you okay?” He asked in a whisper.

She paused for a long moment. The corner of her mouth twitched, and for a second, Jack thought that she’d smile her usual sweet smile and say “Yeah” or “I’m fine”. But the movement was gone as quickly as it occurred, and she muttered, “No.”

He wanted to ask her what was wrong. He felt that this did not pertain to the danger at hand, felt that it wasn’t out of worry for the Mini Fairies that were awaiting her at her palace. It was as if something else were bothering her. The others had said nothing, and when he attempted to approach her, Bunnymund had pulled him back and said, “Don’t, mate. She needs her space.”

“If something happens,” he whispered, and her head rose at attention, “I should let you know…” He glanced up at North. “…I liked you the most.”

She did smile that time, momentarily, and a glimmer of it reached her eyes. But it was only for a beat, and she returned to her silence.

“Jack.”

He turned to Jamie, who was frowning in concern. “Yeah?”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“…I don’t know. Will you?”

Jamie pulled his vest tighter around his frame, and shrugged.

* * *

 Cupid kept his back straight as the cold winds of the Antarctic valley blasted against him. The icy pricks of the sharp snow stung his cheeks, and his dark locks whipped around his head. The tails of his coat whipped around in the breeze. He walked off the edge of the deck, and invisible steps fabricated at his feet. Cherubs approached him at once, fluttering anxiously.

He approached side-by-side with the small golden man sitting upon the cloud of sand. The shimmering whips in his hands, he knew, could cut through steel.

“Well, old man,” he said in his thick Greek tongue, “Good luck.”

Sandy said nothing, but nodded.

And as the darkness—in the form of thick, black smoke, bubbled over the horizon, engulfing the blizzard storms as if it were a beast—Cupid’s sleek black bow and heart-headed arrow materialized, ready for battle.

* * *

 The Guardian of Wonder, the Guardian of Memories, and the Guardian of Fun entered the room stiffly.

Bunnymund stood at attention. The middle of the room was cleared, not a crumb left on the floor. The Guardians approached in the formation of a diamond, and they froze when the blasting winds outside of the thick windows stilled. It was here. It was time.

“Now, Bunnymund.”

Bunnymund reached into the satchel at his side and pulled out the key element. What seemed to be a large pearl was taken out, and he snapped it open easily. A tiny vial was inside, and within it, a small golden droplet of liquid. A quiet singing voice emitted from the vial when he opened it.

One of Bunnymund’s legs thumped against the floor. It sunk inwards, leaving a gaping pit in its wake. Bunnymund cast a look around the others before raising the vial and dripping the one droplet into the pit.

* * *

 Cupid knew it was futile, but what was he to do?

Every arrow he fired, every swing he took, it did nothing. The darkness was not smoke; it was a mass of spindly black arms and hands. The arrows exploded into red blasts on impact, and that held it back, but only for a second at a time. It returned as determined as ever. It clawed at him with thin hands, tearing his coat and pants. The cherubs were handling themselves, but just barely.

The Sandman fared better. He was actually withstanding their attempts of harm, and his whips made them recede. But his whips could only go so far.

As a hand latched around his arm, Cupid knew that they were not defending the others; they were just giving them time to escape.

* * *

 The pit was engulfed in a blinding light.

Jack winced as his eyes stung with the force. When he opened them, he saw that what was once the pit was now a void of…well, he couldn’t tell what it was. He wanted to say wisps of blue light, but they were not quite blue, not quite white, not quite silver or gold. It just seemed to be an endless void. Jamie was gaping at the sight of it, awed beyond comprehension.

The Guardians said nothing for a moment. They seemed too…scared? Worried? Anxious? Someone was going to have to go first, but they didn’t know who. This was a risk too great to comprehend. On one hand, they could emerge safely, on the other, they may not emerge at all.

“Any takers?” Bunnymund inquired. It was meant to be a source of last-minute humor, but it was dry and dull.

North stepped forward and paused to turn to Jamie. He patted the boy’s head gingerly, causing him to smile. North did as well, in a last attempt to comfort himself. All would be well. Jamie would be fine.

But as he stepped forth into the void, the gray and blue air outside the windows became pitcher than black. And when a cold filled the room—an unnatural cold, an unearthly cold, colder than Jack but without feeling—North turned to Toothiana and said, “Tooth, now! Go!”

Toothiana paused, and Jack’s stomach plummeted. Toothiana was terrified. She was scared for her life. And her Mini Fairies buzzed with protest, but she pressed her lips together, nodded, and darted out of the room without a word.

Jamie stepped forward, but Jack spoke first. “You can’t send her out there alone!”

North said nothing.

* * *

 Toothiana’s grip on her sword hardened to the point of blistering.

She told herself to breath, and she did. She told herself to go forward, and she continued. She told herself to refrain from looking back, so she did.

She told herself not to be scared, but she was.

When she entered the Globe Room, she felt sick.

The Room, which was once so full of life and energy, was lifeless. Toys were not whizzing through the air. Yetis were not running to and fro in work. Elves were not hustling about, their bells jingling. Everything was silent and stale and even though the Mini Fairies were at her ears, she felt so overbearingly alone.

She could only hear her breaths and the flutters of wings. She pushed forward and steadied herself—

And she felt it.

She did not hear it or see it, she felt it. The cold feeling of nothingness ripping through her chest and the hollowness it left behind. She could not breathe any longer. Her wings halted, and she dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. The fairies fell limp, too small to bear it. Tooth felt the instinct to scoop them up and hug them close, but she couldn’t. Instead, she stood, swayed, and steadied herself.

But when Toothiana raised her swords, and she felt them collide with something only for a moment, she knew that this was her end.

* * *

 Toothiana’s scream ripped through the air.

The Guardians jumped in shock. Jack felt as if he were going to vomit. Jamie seemed to be teetering between screaming himself and crying.

 _Tooth…it got Tooth…No…no, no, no! It wasn’t supposed to be like this! It wasn’t supposed to be_ her!

“Bunnymund, let’s go!”

Bunnymund did not hesitate for a moment. He and the Russian darted for the doors, and as Bunnymund disappeared from sight, North turned to the ice elf. Jack’s mouth went dry. He felt like crying, something he rarely did.

“North, you can’t go!”

“Jack—”

“No! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!”

“Be brave Jack. You must. Be. Brave. All will be fine, but Jamie must leave.”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock.

“Remember your center…”

And North was gone, the colossal doors slamming shut behind him. The large wooden block came down between the locks. North would not be returning, nor would Bunnymund nor Tooth nor Sandy nor Cupid.

Jack pulled Jamie to the portal. Jamie froze at the edge. He was about to cry, Jack knew it. His eyes were already watering. He pulled on Jack’s blue hoodie, and when he spoke, his voice was as broken as glass. “Jack.”

“Jamie, we have to go.”

“But what about—”

“They will be alright, Jamie. But we have to go now.”

“Jack, I’m scared.”

“…I know. But we’re…”

And in that moment, the doors burst open.

Time seemed to slow. The mass of black arms entered at the speed of sound itself. It surged forward, grappling for them, reaching for them. Jack felt no emotion in that moment, no fear nor sadness. He felt nothing.

And in that moment, Jack turned to the boy…the last hope, looking up at him with frozen terror and blearing eyes…and shoved his staff to his chest. With one last statement, Jack pushed Jamie with his last strength.

“Find us.” Jamie fell backwards into the portal.

It engulfed him, and he was gone.

The darkness took hold of Jack.

It engulfed him, and he was gone.

* * *

  **And there it is! Would you guys please help and send me lists of mythological creatures? Not fairy tales, like Rapunzel or Cinderella, but things like Baby New Year and whatnot. I need it for the story. ~iamconstantine.**


	2. Frost P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson Overland arrives in Burgess, Pennsylvania in the middle of its horrid winter season and meets Jamie Bennett. Jackson has never known himself as anyone other than Jackson. Jamie seems to have known him differently as Jack Frost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time or Rise of the Guardians.

 

 

 

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

* * *

1:23 in the afternoon, and Jackson was dying of boredom.

The bus was his prison, one that was steadily moving at one mile per hour. The seats, though comfortable, were small with plastic dividers that made positioning limited. The air conditioners dripped with water and only seemed content to blast cold air, and though it didn't bother Jackson during the day, last night he had curled in his seat to get warm. The windows were thin and the driver was the loudest man on the planet. He nearly had to blast his iPod to full volume to block out his boisterous tales completely. The people were alright, though few. Six people remained: himself, a silent woman, a grandmotherly woman with a giant red purse, a guy who snored like thunder, and a couple who couldn't keep their hands off each other.

Winter around these parts, he was told, was particularly frigid, but snow was unheard of. So sure, expect the possibility of frostbite and hypothermia, but no snow. The windows were fogged to near-opaqueness and when he removed his head from the one beside him, his wet hair left a stringy silhouette. He readjusted his earphones and focused on the passing trees.

He'd get off at the next stop; maybe get the next bus if he wasn't satisfied. Or, alternatively, he would stop in this town tonight and get a room at an inn. He had enough money for it, surely. The question was, where he would find an inn and if there were any rooms available.

At green sign approached on the side of the road, and he craned his neck to read it.

_Welcome to Burgess!  
Enjoy your stay!_

He rolled his brown eyes instinctively. That sounded like something the innkeeper would say.

The first signs of civilization came into view. Hickory and pine trees, electricity poles, and a few solitary houses began to pass. Jackson removed the earphones from his ears and tucked them and his iPod into his satchel pocket. The bus came into a street—an _actual_ street—and turned to face a fork in the road. The bus slowed and, with a hiss, came to a halt.

Jackson and the other passengers stood and gathered their things. He opened the compartment above him and pulled out his duffel bag. It contained his clothes, toiletries, and shoes. His satchel held his laptop, iPod, chargers, and other miscellaneous. The bag was heavy, as was the satchel, but he couldn't afford to lose either of them. The bus would leave in thirty minutes, but he was taking them in the case that he stayed for the next bus or the bus after or the bus after.

Jackson exited and experienced the foretold cold of Burgess. Within seconds, his ears and nose stung with cold, but he wasn't bothered. He went for the nearest curb and entered the first building available. Heat welcomed him, as did the chime of a bell. It looked like an inn lobby—great—but there were no others in the lobby. There was a single, small blond man sitting behind the reception desk, snoring softly. He didn't stir at the bell and Jackson didn't feel like waking him.

He pulled a sweater and his blue jacket from his bag, as well as a pair of gloves. He pulled them all on and zipped the bag close afterwards.

The street of Burgess was rural and rustic, with shops and other buildings, all made of brick and pressed against one another, a few alleys wedged in here-and-there. Some signs were painted to the windows; others were painted to pieces of wood and hanging before the doors. Cars passed by on the streets, and the traffic lights flashed in rhythm.

He had enough time to walk around, he decided. He turned down the sidewalk and decided to find a map more than anything else at the time being. He'd find a map and—

A paper hit his shoe, and he stooped down to pick it up. His dark eyebrows furrowed at the picture drawn on it. It looked like a fair sketch of some large, furry creatures similar to yetis.

"Excuse me! Sorry! I didn't mean to drop it…"

Jackson turned to the source of the voice, a small young boy with messy brown hair and large brown eyes. He was holding a small book under his arm, with papers folded between the pages. He took the paper from Jackson's hand and said, "Sorry. I was—"

His eyes rose to Jackson's face, and for a moment, he seemed speechless. His lips parted slightly, and his eyes widened. His mouth moved in the formation of words, and after a moment, he said, "Hi."

Jackson paused. This kid seemed particularly shy. "Hi."

"You must be new here."

"Nope, I'm just passing through on the bus."

"Can I help you with your bag?"

"No, it' fine, I—"

The boy moved forward and took hold of Jackson's duffel bag, taking it himself. Jackson felt uncomfortable with strangers—children regardless—taking hold of his possessions, but in the end, he simply said, "Okay…"

"I'm Jamie Bennett. I live here."

"Jackson Overland, and I do _not_ live here."

"I know. Burgess is big, but everyone knows each other. Mr. Mansnoozie owns that inn, and Aster owns the flower shop. We have a lot of things in Burgess, like the college, the bakery, the library, and we have a hospital, too, but it's kind of far from here…"

Jamie folded his paper and tucked it into the pages of his book. When he folded the cover back, Jackson read the title out of curiosity. _They're Out There—Mysteries, Mythical Creatures, and the Unexplained Phenomena._ "That looks interesting. Good book?"

Jamie smiled, as if pleased with the question. He nodded and turned to a bookmarked page. As he flipped the pages over, Jackson saw that he had drawn notes and pasted Post-Its to various pages. "It's about all the mythological creatures and beings in existence." He flipped through the pages some more, stopping sometimes. "My friend gave it to me. I've got everything about elves, fairies, and trolls in here. I make notes every time I find something new. Like, fairies don't really look like people; they're kind of like hummingbirds."

Jackson nodded just to amuse the kid. Of course, he didn't believe in those fairy tales. There was no Easter Bunny or Tooth Fairy, no Bigfoot or Santa Claus. But he wasn't going to bring a child down from believing that. "And who are you looking into right now?"

Jamie smiled as if he were just _waiting_ for Jackson to ask. He turned to another bookmarked page and flipped it open. Inside, Jackson could see black scrawl, snowflakes, and aged drawings of a white-haired male. "Jack Frost. He's an ice elf and he—"

"Jamie!"

They both turned to see who was calling. It was a middle-aged woman in a sweater, coat and jeans, with long ponytailed chocolate hair and brown eyes just like Jamie's. She was fastening a fidgeting blonde girl into a car eat inside a blue minivan. "Come on, sweetie, we'll be late for your appointment!" The woman paused at the sight of Jackson, and her lips pursed.

"Coming, Mom!" Jamie looked up at Jackson with alarming urgency. "How long are you going to be in town?"

"Um…I guess I'll be staying for today…"

"Great!" Jamie removed Jackson's duffel bag from his shoulder and passed it to him. Jackson took it, still curious to as why a kid he had just met was so eager to see him. "Meet me at the diner in an hour! It's called The Clover, alright?"

"Uh…Jamie, why do you want to talk to me so bad?"

"We have a lot to catch up on! Just meet me in an hour!"

He climbed into the blue minivan without another word. His mother scolded him for talking to strangers, but Jamie's only reply was a halfhearted 'okay'.

But the way Jamie said 'We have a lot to catch up on!' made Jackson think that they had met before.

* * *

"Jackson Overland? I've never heard of him."

"He's new in town. He came in on the bus, and he says he'll be staying for today."

Dr. Thaddeus Ombric nodded and pushed his half-moon spectacles further up the bridge of his nose. Jamie didn't know how old Dr. Thaddeus was, but he was old enough to have lengthy crow's feet and a snowy beard so long that it came down to the waist of his pants. In his long, robe-like white laboratory coat, he almost looked like a wizard.

Dr. Thaddeus scribbled into his clipboard. He clicked his pen—he did so every time he finished a line—and lifted his watery blue eyes to Jamie. "And who do you think he is?"

Jamie immediately opened his book and turned to the bookmarked page. He turned it around and pushed it towards Dr. Thaddeus, who took it in his wrinkled hands.

"Jack Frost?"

Jamie nodded vigorously. Dr. Thaddeus was used to this, asking Jamie Bennett who he thought the residents of Burgess " _really_ " were, but he hadn't seen him so excited about it before, not even when he said that the innkeeper was The Sandman. "He's here! He's finally here!"

"You were expecting him?"

Jamie sighed. This was the 17th time (he counted!) that he had to tell the tale to Dr. Thaddeus. But a moment later, his excitement was at full throttle yet again. "Yes! Remember? He was the one who saved me! He's the one—"

"—who will help you save us all." Dr. Thaddeus nodded and scribbled on his clipboard again. "Yes, I remember now. He's the one who saved you from the darkness."

"Yes! And now that he's here, I can save everyone and they can all go home! Things can go back to the way they used to be!"

Dr. Thaddeus scribbled in his clipboard.

"You don't believe me."

"Jamie, I'm not here to encourage these fantasies, I'm here to e _nd_ them."

"They're not fantasies! He's Jack Frost, Aster is the Easter Bunny, and you're—"

"Father Time, I know! I know. But, Jamie…" Dr. Thaddeus removed his spectacles and rubbed his temples. Arguing with Jamie was equivalent to arguing with a brick wall: Pointless and…weird. "Have you been taking your medication?"

Jamie sat back on the comforter with a huff.

"Jamie, this is for your own good."

"No, this is for my Mom, and my classmates, and everyone else who thinks I'm a freak."

"Your mother is worried about you, Jamie. She's taking this just as hard as you are."

Jamie looked Dr. Thaddeus up and down, as if taking him in. "If I was your son and this was still going on, what would you do?"

"I would have no problem with it and listen to every tale you had to tell. But you're not my son, and your mother doesn't have that opinion. That's why you have to come in here Monday through Saturday."

Jamie leaned forward. "So you don't think I'm crazy?"

Dr. Thaddeus leaned forward as well. "Not any more than I am."

He chuckled, and Jamie giggled.

The door opened then, and Jamie's mother entered the room. Dr. Thaddeus frowned and leaned back at once, but Miranda Bennett noticed. She frowned at the umpteenth time that she had caught Dr. Thaddeus and her son playing around instead of having an actual appointment. "Good evening, Dr. Thaddeus."

"Good evening, Miranda. You know I don't like intrusions on my appointments."

"It's been an hour. The appointment time is up."

Jamie picked up his book and darted past his mother for the door. Miranda turned to Dr. Thaddeus with a scrutinizing glare. Dr. Thaddeus fidgeted. "Yes?"

"Thaddeus—"

"He's a boy, Miranda. He's a child. There is nothing abnormal about believing in mythological creatures! You believed in them when you were his age, I'm sure."

"That was different, Thaddeus. That started when I was five and ended when I was eight."

"Are you saying that it's abnormal at the age of eleven?"

" _No,_ I'm saying it's abnormal when it's been going on his whole life. Thaddeus, the first time he began to draw real pictures, he was drawing these things, these…creatures, and it was like it was from memory. He was drawing the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy _before I even told him about them!_ "

"He may have heard it from his preschool teacher, no?"

"Thaddeus…For the past eleven years, all I have seen is him talk about these things. He's drawn pictures, made books, and collected every feather and hair he comes across. The kids at school, they pick on him. The mothers whisper every time we go somewhere. He's convinced that every person in this town is some kind of wizard or whatnot. And ever since Nicholas gave him that book, he's been defending them with his life! I'm not paying you to giggle and laugh along with this; I'm paying you to end it. The next time I come in here and see you _not_ doing your job, consider yourself fired."

"Miranda…in the words of a giggling, laughing doctor, maybe you should stop sending a eleven-year-old to therapy sessions and actually talk to him yourself."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

"Jamie…you drew Santa Claus again?"

Jamie's face fell. His mother's comments of his drawing had been slowly decreasing. It had gone from an encouraging "That's cool/good, Jamie" to a half-hearted "That's nice…", and now he was being asked why he continued doing these pictures.

Miranda scooted away from her computer and shook her head at the drawing. Other kids her son's age drew dinosaurs or robots or zombies or whatever was reasonable, but no, her son liked to draw Santa Claus in the middle of July. And it was not a jolly, rosy-cheeked, cookie-eating Santa Claus, no. This Santa Claus had two swords, an army of yetis, and a sled like a military jet plane. And the Easter Bunny was six-feet-tall with boomerangs and living eggs. And the Tooth Fairy was a hummingbird-woman with wings like a bug…

"Jamie…you have to learn now that all these beings, Santa Claus and the Sandman, they aren't real."

"Yes they are. I've met them, and so has Sophie! The Tooth Fairy—well, she likes to be called Tooth, but anyways—she lives in this huge palace above the clouds."

"Jamie—"

"And the Sandman has this golden sand that he can use to make anything."

"Jamie—"

"And Jack Frost, he has this wooden staff that he uses to—"

"Jamie!"

"What?"

"Enough, Jamie. Enough with all of this. I don't want to hear it anymore."

"…But…But they're real! Jack's going to visit me tonight and…"

"Jack Frost does not visit you, Jamie. You're just having the same recurring dream over and over. I told you, we're going to go see Dr. Leonard tomorrow."

"I don't want to go see a doctor! I don't need to!"

"Jamie, stop! Ever since I said that _one_ time, 'Jack Frost will nip at your nose'—"

"Stop saying that! You know he doesn't like it when people say that!"

"Jamie…"

Jamie turned on his heel and stormed out of his mother's room. His mother called after him, but he didn't turn around.

He felt his eyes and throat burn with incoming tears. Jamie wished that his mother could see what he saw. He wished that he could introduce her to Jack. But Jack said that adults couldn't see the Guardians because they didn't believe in them. He said that "Believing is seeing", as North put it. He said that the reason the Guardians weren't supposed to be seen by children or adults was because, well, if they were in the middle of a working night and had to deal with an excited boy or girl, they'd be set back. But North let him visit Jamie, since Jack could do his job whenever he felt like it.

"Jamie?"

Sophie's head peeked around the corner of her bedroom door. Her unruly blond hair swayed as she padded over to her brother. "Why Jamie sad?"

"Not now, Sophie."

"Why Jamie so sad?"

Jamie felt that anger burn in him, that anger when you were upset with something and got annoyed with every little thing that happened. He was about to tell Sophie to leave him alone and go to her room, but instead took a deep breath. "Now now, Sophie, okay? It's nothing."

"Okay, Jamie…" Sophie whispered before padding back to her room. Her pink cardboard wings swayed on her back.

Jamie entered his room and shut his door without slamming it. He made way to his bed, and paused when he was about to sit down. The wall around and over his bed was packed tight with pictures he had drawn. Not a single inch was left exposed. He thought that they were good, that they were just like Jack told him. He drew the Guardians, and the Mini Fairies, and the Eggs, and the Yetis…

…And yet, every time his mother saw them, she shook her head to herself and avoided looking at them.

A knock at the window caught his attention.

Jack hovered outside the glass, his pale knuckles tapping against the pane of the window. He was learning to phase through walls—Tooth had mastered such a skill a long time ago and was teaching him how—but for now, he needed open windows to get inside. As Jamie approached, Jack noticed his fallen demeanor and tilted his head to the side.

Jamie opened the window, and as Jack entered, so did a gust of cold air. Frost curled on the glass at once. Jack stood on the carpet with his bare feet and held his wooden staff close as Jamie shut the door again. His blue eyes took the boy in. "What's wrong, champ?"

Jamie shook his head and went back to his bed. Jack jumped up and sat on the hook of his staff with the balance of a cat. "It's my Mom again."

"Ugh, the No-Nonsense Queen?" Jack rolled his eyes and put on a fake feminine wilt. "'Put on your coat, Jamie, or Jack Frost will nip at your nose.' I don't even get it! What does 'nip' mean?!"

Jamie chuckled shortly. Jack could tell that no joke was going to lighten him up, so he stood by the bed and leaned on his staff. "What did she do this time?"

"She's taking me to a doctor tomorrow to talk about my 'recurring dreams'. She won't listen to a word I say."

"Adults are weird," said Jack. "They're all egocentric. And just because someone says something isn't true, doesn't mean it isn't."

"She says I'm getting too old for this."

"Age does not define truth. Like North would say." Jack put on a fake Russian accent for the next line. "'Truth is like wind. You cannot see it, but it is there.'"

Jamie laughed at the impression as Jack sat down next to him. "Don't worry, Jamie. The others and I are still here."

Jamie nodded. Even if his mother didn't understand, he knew what was real and that would be that. He just needed to learn how to be satisfied.

Jack's comment made him recall something. "You're here earlier than usual. What's wrong?"

Jack's serene smirk vanished. He frowned, looking away from Jamie for a moment. When he looked back at him, he stood up from the bed and took hold of his staff.

"We need you at the North Pole."

* * *

**MYTHOLOGICAL BEING ALREADY LISTED:**

Tooth Fairy

Easter Bunny

Santa Claus

Sandman

Jack Frost

The Bogeyman

Mother Nature

The Fates

The Leprechaun

The Groundhog

Cupid

Baby New Year

Father Time

Mother Goose

**If you would like to extend the list, please do so.**


	3. Frost P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson is visited by quite an ominous citizen of Burgess. In times past, Jamie's situation is explained with the circumstances of the Guardians' plight.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

* * *

"Jack Frost?"

Jamie nodded vigorously before taking a sip of his iced tea. The Clover, Jackson learned, was a diner/pub in Burgess. The whole place reeked of grease, but it wasn't a bothering odor. The menu was amazingly cheap, a dollar for every drink (excluding free water) and a maximum of six dollars per food item. Jackson could tell just by looking around that this town had the quirkiest residents to be seen. In the corner, a thickly gray-haired man with piercing green eyes and tribal tattoos on his biceps and chest was sipping a steaming cup of coffee. A Korean man in a thick red coat read a book beside the window. Two children, a brunette girl and a platinum blond boy, were discussing something urgent. The owner himself was a red-haired man with a smoke pipe between his lips.

Jamie picked up a golden French fry from his plate and said, "You don't really control the winter weather, but you can make things happen. Like, you can make snow fall and frost appear on stuff. You liked to make snowball fights."

Jackson moved his head from his knuckles, leaving red imprints on his pale skin. He took a deep breath, and his lips moved to form words that wouldn't sound. In the end, all he could spit out was, "What?"

Jamie visibly deflated and turned the page over. He pointed at a taped-in picture he seemed to have drawn himself. It was a stick-figure with white hair, a blue shirt, brown pants and some kind of wooden staff in his right hand. There were other images beside it, like crude frost patterns and snowflakes.

"You were Jack Frost. When The Dark came in and took everything, you shoved me into a portal and saved me. The Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus all went with you. That's why you're here, now."

Jackson sighed deeply. "So…you think that there was a past life where I was Jack Frost, saved you by pushing you into a portal, and now, me and the other…'Guardians' are all here in Burgess with no idea who we are?"

"I don't think that, I _know_ that. The Dark came in, it took everyone's memories and sent them here. The portal let me keep my memories. You were supposed to come too, but…"

Jamie paused when he looked at Jackson's face. He was staring at Jamie with lidded eyes and a raised eyebrow.

"No one's ever believed me in this. I don't think you will right now, since you just got here, but maybe you'll figure it out eventually."

Jackson had always liked children. He knew how to get along with them, he knew how they liked to play, he knew all there was to know. And Jamie was a sweet kid, sure, and really endearing, but…Alright, maybe this kid just had an abnormally big imagination.

"So that's why you were so nice to me today?"

Jamie nodded sadly, and twisted a French fry nugget around his plate. "We were friends. I don't know if you made it out or not."

Jackson nodded slowly. "Alright, so…if the…um…"

"Guardians."

"Right, so if all the Guardians are supposed to be here, how come I just came here today?"

He meant it as a tease, a jest at his tale, but he was surprised when Jamie replied quite seriously. "I don't know. For a while, I thought it was because you were dead, but I don't know about it now."

"Alright…and you're the only one who 'remembers' what happened?"

"Right. Because I was the only one who went through the portal."

"Right, right…And everyone else in Burgess is a Guardian, too?"

"Everyone except me and my family."

"So…the people in here, now, are Guardians or other creatures or whatnot?"

Jamie nodded once again and pointed to the tattooed man in the corner. "That's Bun— _Aster_ , he used to be the Easter Bunny." He pointed the Korean man in the red coat. "That's Rhys, used to be Cupid." The next to be gestured to was the pair of children. "That's Nile and Kate. I don't know who Nile was, but I think Kate was Mother Goose."

Jackson nodded again and chewed on the end of his straw. "Alright."

"Are you really leaving tomorrow?" Jamie asked with a frown.

"I'm planning on it."

Jamie nodded without looking at him. He took another sip of tea and pulled the book to him. Flipping over the pages, Jackson could see slight glimpses of the former beings Jamie had just finished telling him of: the Easter Bunny, who was six-foot tall, a master of tai chi, with explosive eggs and powerful boomerangs; the Tooth Fairy, who was half-hummingbird and half-human (apparently, Jack couldn't quite grasp it) who lived in a palace in Thailand with thousands of miniature versions of herself; and Santa Claus, who was a Russian Cossack with two swords and snow globes that could create transportation devices. Jamie stopped on the final page, and turned to the cover. He ran his fingers over the name of the author: _Anonymous._

"You don't know who made that?"

"No," Jamie replied. "But Nicholas gave it to me for my birthday. He said he found it in his shop."

Jackson nodded, not quite knowing what to say. He paused, and then asked, "So…How am I important?"

"Now that you're here, all the Guardians are together again. I don't know how, but we'll have to find out how to make everyone remember—"

Jamie's words halted into silence. His brown eyes stared behind Jackson, and just as the teenager was about to turn around and see what the problem was, the young boy ducked down underneath the table. Jackson's eyebrows furrowed and he finally turned. He saw, at the front of the restaurant, a tall brunette woman in a sweater speaking with the owner. Jamie's mother, Jackson realized.

He turned back to Jamie, who was staring at his mother with severe caution. "Uh…is everything alright?"

"She isn't supposed to know that I'm here. I told her I went to the library."

Jackson chuckled. He liked this kid better by the minute. "You're hiding from your mother?"

Jamie nodded with such mutiny that Jackson chuckled again.

Jackson turned and looked again. Jamie's mother and the owner continued to speak. "Wait…" She turned with the owner, looking at something on the wooden shelves beside the entrance. "Go, now! Go!"

Jamie quickly darted out from under the table, snatched the book from its surface, and bolted for the back door. The door rang a bell when it opened, urging the boy to run faster. Jackson shook his head and finished his tea, pulling out his wallet to pay for the service. He'd head for the inn soon.

* * *

The innkeeper—whose name he found out was Mr. Mansnoozie, and great Scott was he going to have fun with that—gave him an old-fashioned key to Room #5. He didn't speak, just nodded and returned to the checkbook spread out across the front desk.

The room was much nicer than Jack expected it to be. Given, he didn't think it'd be bad. He once stayed at a motel in Baltimore with a broken door handle, a useless light, and a sink brown with grime. This room was actually quite homely. The floor was made of beige carpet and there were four lights in a square formation in the ceiling. There was one television upon a set of drawers, and a small table and a cushioned red chair beside the bed. The bed itself had soft sheets and a dark gold spread and when he sat down on it, it sank inwards. The sink, bathtub, and toilet were sparkling clean. Other necessities, such as towels, soap, an ice bucket, and a coffee maker, were all accounted for. The price was forty dollars a night, which was just in his budget.

He set his duffel beside the bed and plugged in his phone to recharge. He removed his jacket and draped it on the back of the chair. There was a small "brochure" of Burgess, so he looked at that. There were four restaurants, The Clover included. The library was three streets away, the college was at the northern end of town, and the museum was near it. Other addresses, such as a dentist office, the hospital, and the bus station were also listed.

Searching through the channels of the television—he remarked with surprise that though it was outdated, the screen was of high definition—he heard a knock at the door. Not sure who to expect, he supposed it was the innkeeper and stood to answer the door.

When he did, he found that it was not the innkeeper. In fact, it was the exact opposite of him. In the place of the short, squat, blonde and tanned man was a tall, thin, jet-haired and pasty-skinned man. His eyes were hazel, and his face was long and thin. In a long black coat and slacks, he held an intimidating air to him. He smiled at Jackson, flashing grey teeth.

"Good evening. Mind if I have a word?"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Going through the portal was similar to diving through a wind tunnel. For a moment, Jamie was falling and air was billowing all around him, and the next, he was laying on his side.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Jack beside him, sprawled like a rag doll. The winter spirit huffed as he stood to his feet, shaking his disorientated head. "Never going to get used to that landing…"

Jamie chuckled and raised his head. His jaw dropped at the sight around him. The building he was in seemed endlessly large, with an arched ceiling and several landings. Everything seemed to be made of hickory or oak. Behind him was a colossal model of the Earth, with golden lights speckling its surface as it rotated. Tapestries and rugs were everywhere, and the smell of spice was homely. So this was the North Pole.

It was nice, but…lifeless. He thought that there would be yetis and elves running to and fro, but instead, neither species were in sight. It seemed too…quiet. The building was far too large for such silence.

Looking up, his face broke into a grin when he saw the other Guardians. The grin soon faded when he noticed their looks of severity and concern. North was pacing in circles, rubbing his chin behind his beard. Bunnymund was thumping is hind leg as if it were a nervous tic. Sandy was wringing his small hands together. Toothiana was…well, she was standing still, but her wings and posture seemed off balance. There was someone else there, a tall man with red eyes and dark hair. Jamie didn't recognize him, nor the small pink creatures buzzing around him.

North finally seemed to notice them, despite their crashing entrance. "They have arrived. Good." He clapped his massive hands together and ushered them to stand. Jack helped Jamie to his feet as North continued, "Now to the more trivial manners. Cupid, Sandy, a word, please."

The tall man and Sandy nodded and followed North a few feet away. Jack paused, as if uncomfortable with the heavy atmosphere. He approached Bunnymund, who was constantly shifting and squirming. "Everything alright?"

"What?" Bunnymund raised his head, paused, and nodded when he seemed to understand mate. "Yeah, mate, everything's fine."

"You sure?"

"…"

"…Hello?" Jack frowned, as if annoyed that he was being ignored. "Easter Kangaroo, can you hear me?"

Bunnymund didn't even twitch. "Bail me alone, mate." He sighed and leaned on a pillar yet again. Jack took this as a sign to back off, and did so.

Jack's eyes turned to the flittering fairy queen, his head tilting to see a better view of her face. Even when despaired and concerned, Toothiana usually held an emotion to her features, lest it be large amethyst eyes darting around her environment or a small hand raised to her chin. But she was standing stock still, her hands folded before her and her eyes downcast to the floor. She was not instructing the Mini Fairies around her to locations of teeth needing to be collected, and Jack knew that was wrong, since Toothiana never took a break. As the other Mini Fairies hovered to their queen's face closely, Baby Tooth fluttered to Jack. She gave him a few chirps of pleads and stared at him wide-eyed.

Jack stepped forward, approaching her Majesty. But just as he raised a pale hand to her, and opened his lips to ask what was wrong, Bunnymund's paw landed on his shoulder, gently pulling him back. The tall Pooka shook his head, his ears swaying. "Just give her some space, mate."

Jack paused, turning to look at Toothiana (who hadn't batted an eyelash at him), and nodded before silently stepping back.

Jamie pulled on the hem of Jack's hoodie. "Is everything okay?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but a heavily accented voice interrupted them. "Jamie, it is good to see you."

Jamie smiled and turned to the Cossack man approaching him. North's blue eyes sparkled as he halted before the boy, his hands on his hips. "We've been expecting you." Behind him, Sandy and 'Cupid' (Jamie made a note to talk to him later) walked past. North turned to Jack and said, "May ve have a moment alone?"

Jack paused, nodded, and patted Jamie's shoulder before walking away.

Jamie's eyes followed him until North placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and pushed him forth.

North's personal office was toasty, despite the ceiling and walls of ice. The farther wall was a large window overlooking the valley of the Antarctic, and beside that, a fire roared in the corner. Candles illuminated the room and made the blocks of ice sparkle. An ice model of what seemed to be a town was spread atop one of the many wooden tables. Other items, such as partly made toys and an ever-decorated Christmas tree, were also placed in the room. Jamie looked around in interest before a large plate was pushed to him. His looked at North's face as he pushed the tray of cookies closer to the boy. Jamie smiled and nodded in thanks as he took one and bit into it. Peppermint chip, his favorite.

North placed the plate on the nearest surface before speaking. "To discuss serious matters, we need your help."

Jamie swallowed before asking, "With what?"

North paused. Jamie recognized it as the 'how-do-I-explain-this-to-a-child' pause. He hated when adults did that. North stroked his beard and said, slowly, "Man in Moon is…leader of the Guardians, in a sense. He tells us vat to do, tells us how to do it. He created every single one of us." He paused to take in Jamie's face. "So, he is never wrong. He knows everything."

"Um…okay?"

"He has told us recently, that…something bad is coming."

Jamie paused. For him, 'bad' was a D or F on a paper, or breaking something in the house. For the Guardians, he knew that 'bad' was something dark and brutal, something like Pitch Black. "What are you going to do?"

"Man in Moon's vords are alvays cryptic. He has an odd vay of giving instructions. He hasn't told us vat is coming…exactly. Some knowledge is for him and him alone to know. But he has told us…that ven it comes, he vill take us to a land vhere ve vill be safe."

Jamie's eyebrows furrowed, disbelieving. "You guys aren't going to put up a fight?"

"Ve vill. But vhen an army sets into var, their leader must know vhen to draw back. And according to Man in Moon, ve vill need to do so."

Jamie nodded. This was a lot to take in, and he had to constrain himself from asking a stream of questions. The Guardians were going to have to leave. So…what would happen to them? Where exactly were they going, and for how long? But he swallowed again and asked instead, "So why do you need me here?"

North paused again. He was once again unsure of what to say. He took a deep breath and tapped his knuckles together. "Vhen ve leave this vorld, there vill only be enough power to take a few Guardians and a child. A child who not only believes that ve exist, but know that ve do. And…he vants that child to be you."

Jamie felt a surge of emotions through him. At first, it was excitement. An adventure with the Guardians? Absolutely! Then, it was confusion. Why him, instead of the other children? Then it was concern. Where were they going, still? Then it was fear. What about his family? What about his friends? What was the thing going to do?

"This is…very much to take in. If you have any questions, I vould be happy to answer."

He decided that he would have to ask each question in turn.

"I don't…I don't understand. Why me?"

"You vere the von who believed in us vhen no von else vuld. To Man in Moon, that is the sign of unimaginable loyalty. You deserve this more than anyvon."

"But…where would I go? Where would _we_ go?"

"I don't know, Jamie. I'm sorry. But ve vill be safe there, I promise you."

"But…my family and my friends, what about them?"

"For all ve know, this thing is only coming for the Guardians and maybe a few others. I only know so much."

Jamie felt his feet give out, and he sat down on the wooden box behind him. His head was spinning. He couldn't comprehend what was going on, and when he heard a voice, it took a moment for him to realize that it was his own. "I'm scared…"

North's gaze was tender and sympathetic. He approached the boy, and as he did so, he removed a sword from a nearby sheath. He held the sword in his hand, tilting the blade so that it caught the candlelight. Its twin remained in the sheath.

"The first time I vent into battle, I vas thirteen years old. I remember, thirteen years old, staring at the enemy approaching. And you know vhat? I vas terrified. These men vere as thick as trees, as big as boulders. I thought that I vould be crushed underneath their veight. But I vasn't. My men and I escaped victoriously."

Jamie raised his chocolate eyes to the Guardian of Wonder. "And you didn't get hurt?"

"Oh, no, I vas holding a crutch for a veek."

Jamie chuckled.

North smiled, and continued, "But I did it. I vas so small, so likely to die, but I made it out alive. And I see no reason vhy you can't, either. So are you going to be brave, or vill you decide to remain here? The choice is yours and yours alone."

Jamie didn't speak for a long time. When he did, his voice was slow and steady, far too grown for a child.

"I'll be brave."

* * *

"Kozmotis Pitchiner, but you may call me Mr. Kozmotis if you like."

The tall, pasty man bowed with the grace of a snake. Despite his cordial greeting, Jackson felt a sense of unease at once. Mr. Kozmotis had an air of dread around him. When he raised himself to his full height—which, Jackson noted, was at least a foot taller than him—he looked at Jackson with fascination. It was as if Jackson were a pretty new animal at the petting zoo.

It took a moment for Jackson to realize that Mr. Kozmotis was awaiting a response. "I'm—"

"Jackson Overland, I'm aware." He spoke with an accent Jackson did not recognize. It may have been British, but it was smoother and deeper. But he was more focused on the fact that he knew Jackson's name before even knowing it.

"How do you know my name?"

"May I come inside?"

Before Jackson could respond, Mr. Kozmotis stepped past him and entered the inn. Jackson felt a spark of annoyance. The one thing he hated more than anything else was an invasion of privacy. Mr. Kozmotis took a few steps, estimating the room's features with disdain. He ran a slender finger over the spread of the bed and shook his head. "Mansnoozie never really updates these rooms, does he? Shame."

He continued strolling around contently. He noticed the still-running television and turned it off with a flick of his finger.

Jackson glared daggers into Mr. Kozmotis's back when it was turned to him. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Before that, I'd like to speak of your arrival." As if that were obvious, Mr. Kozmotis gave Jack a bemused smile. "People passing through Burgess on the bus usually leave right away."

"I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Yes, yes, I'm sure." Mr. Kozmotis picked up the brochure, scanned it with his eyes, and put it back down. "It's a shame, though. You held such promises." He didn't pause to let Jack speak. "But don't you find this town interesting? The townspeople are so nice. Have you eaten at The Clover yet? Their spaghetti is lovely, trust me."

"The town is fine," Jackson replied curtly. "But I'm still leaving."

Mr. Kozmotis clicked his tongue and shook his head. He dragged his hand on the surface of the drawers. "Jamie will be most disappointed."

Jackson felt a trigger go off inside him. He glared at the intruder without trying to conceal it. "How do you know Jamie?"

"Everyone in town knows everyone." Jackson recalled Jamie saying that, and he had to remind himself that Mr. Kozmotis and Jamie both lived in town. Just as he was thinking along the lines of 'Alright, maybe he just knows Jamie because he does', Mr. Kozmotis continued, "Especially Jamie Edward Bennett. Poor little boy, with his head filled with such tales of insanity. I've heard rumors. Once he's fourteen, off to the loony shack for him."

Jackson bit down a growl. This guy was a few words away from a punch in the face. "I'm not here to listen to you call a boy insane and—"

"On the contrary, Jackson, I find Jamie's tales most endearing. Why, if I'd had that imagination as a child, you wouldn't see me running a bank. He'll be successful, I'm sure."

"…You still haven't told me how you know my name."

Mr. Kozmotis smirked darkly. He reached into his coat and pulled out a book. And not just any book, Jackson realized, it was a book entitled _They're Out There—Mysteries, Mythical Creatures, and the Unexplained Phenomena._ He could see the papers jutting out from the pages.

Jackson felt his breath catch, but he wasn't going to falter before Mr. Kozmotis. "How do you have that?"

"Jack Frost." This guy sure did have a specialty for dodging questions, didn't he? "A new addition to his tales. And do you know who he thinks I am?" Mr. Kozmotis's eyes darkened as he spat out, "The Bogeyman." He scoffed and opened the book. "The one tale that I am most disagreeable with. But you know, Jamie's never been quite this excited before. I daresay he's ecstatic to meet you…again." He said the last word with emphasis.

"Did you _steal_ that from him?"

Mr. Kozmotis feigned exaggerated hurt. "Don't sugar-coat it, please. I merely found it when he left it at The Clover. Which was why I came to you." He approached Jackson and held the book out to him. "Jamie and I aren't quite on agreeable terms. But you, he'd be happy to talk to. Would you be as kind as to return this to him?"

Jackson took the book with careful fingers. Flipping through the pages, he found nothing out of place. He felt something on his shoulder, and realized that it was Mr. Kozmotis's hand patting him gently. "It's a shame you'll only be here for tonight. Jamie will be so displeased."

It was only until after he exited that Jackson realized three things:

Mr. Kozmotis knew that Jamie had been at The Clover.

Jamie had taken the book with him when he'd left.

Mr. Kozmotis had known where Jackson was.

* * *

**MYTHOLOGICAL BEING ALREADY LISTED:**

Tooth Fairy

Easter Bunny

Santa Claus

Sandman

Jack Frost

The Bogeyman

Mother Nature

The Fates

The Leprechaun

The Groundhog

Cupid

Baby New Year

Father Time

Mother Goose

**If you would like to extend the list, please do so.**


	4. Frost P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jamie becomes desperate to convince Jackson to remain in Burgess, and takes an attempt at reengaging Jackson's memory.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

* * *

Jackson found himself standing before _Santoff Claussen,_ Burgess's local toy shop, fifteen minutes later.

His idea to find Jamie had been the obvious one. There was a glued note to the back of the book reading _If found, please return to JAMIE BENNETT,_ followed by what he assumed to be Jamie's mother's phone number. So he called her, and she picked up on the second ring. The following conversation consisted of introductions of the two, suspicion on Miranda's half, explanation on Jackson's, and reluctant directions to _Santoff Claussen._

Santoff Claussen was actually just down the street from the Sweet Dreams Inn, placed on a corner splitting the roads leading to the river bank and the West Village, the larger area of Burgess housing several neighborhoods and Lake Buzwik. The toy shop held the appearance of a log cabin, with a porch holding several rocking chairs and a checkerboard. An old-fashioned wooden sign hung over the door entitling the building. The front door was made of glass and wood, and when Jackson opened it, a bell went off.

The front room held a mystical atmosphere. It lacked the toys Jackson saw in other toy shops, such as video games, computer and television items, etc. It held classic things that he thought were a bit outdated but also authentic. One corner held painted rocking horses. Model airplanes and puppets hung from strings on the wooden ceiling rafters. Board games took up one rack, puzzles took up another. Dolls sat on a platform surrounded by a train track with a moving locomotive. Barrels of plastic swords, lines of Matryoshka dolls, and arrangements of fire trucks and cars filled in every spare place. The front counter held an old-fashioned cash register and a display of fruit cake and cookies. The whole place smelled of smoky wood.

Business was absent, though Jackson supposed that this place had as many lazy days as any other store. He craned his neck around, trying to find Jamie or at least the owner. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Footsteps approached from the back room. The door opened, and Jackson had to fight down a wide-eyed stare at the size of the man entering. He was at least 6'11", maybe even over seven feet. He was as thick as a boulder, his shoulders broad and his hands like iron skillets. He seemed to be in his sixties or seventies, with a thick white beard going down his chest and thick, bushy black eyebrows atop icy blue eyes. In black overalls and a plaid shirt, inside a toy shop, Jackson got a very Santa Claus feel from him. Though maybe that was what he was going for. The tattoos on his bulging forearms reading Непослушный and Хороший made him a bit intimidating, however.

"Good evening," the man said in a heavy Russian accent. "May I help you vith something?"

Jackson reached into his satchel and pulled out the book. He noted the spark of familiarity in the man's eyes as he did so. "Jamie Bennett's mom said that he would be here, and I wanted to give this to him."

"You must be Jackson. Jamie speaks very much of you." Jackson couldn't help but think that Jamie would be a good news anchor one day. "I am Nicholas St. North, but you may call me Nicholas. Jamie is in back. Please, follow."

He opened the wooden panel of the desk, allowing a passage for Jackson to follow him to the back room. He did so, taking a moment to ogle at the size of the doorway, and stepped inside.

This room seemed to double as Nicholas's office and workshop. Another smaller desk was tucked into the corner, but several wooden tables took the majority of the room's space. One held the wooden model of a rocking horse, with cups of paint surrounding it. Another held parts for car models, and another held various wooden carvings of game board pieces, wooden models, etc. Sawdust littered the floor, and the lights shone on the carving utensils.

Jamie was sitting before one of the tables, carefully painting a wooden car bright red. His eyes flickered to Jackson, returned to the car, and darted back to Jackson with a jump of realization. He put the car down as his face broke into an ear-to-ear smile. "Jackson! What are you doing here?"

Jackson held up the book with a smirk. "I came to return this to you."

Jamie jumped off the wooden stool and jogged towards him. He took the book as he said, " _Thank_ you. I thought I'd lost it."

"Yeah, um, about that…You _did_ take it with you when you left The Clover, right?"

"Uh…Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did."

It was a silly question, because Jackson already knew the answer. He wanted to tell Jamie of how Mr. Kozmotis had had the book, but that was about the creepiest thing you could tell a kid, wasn't it? That some guy took one of your possessions when you weren't looking? Or worse, stole it from your home? "Did you go anywhere after that?"

"I went back to the library in case Mom checked there. Why?"

Mr. Kozmotis must have gotten the book there, then. Jamie must have put his bag down and had it stolen when he wasn't looking. "I, um…I just stopped by there just now, you must have left it on a table."

Jamie nodded, though looked confused. He must have thought that he had made sure to take the book when he'd come to the toy shop. For a moment, he considered telling Jamie the truth, but decided against it.

Nicholas stepped past them and picked up Jamie's painted car, careful not to touch the damp parts. After tapping a few blank spaces with the brush, he nodded to Jamie with a smile. "Thank you for help, Jamie. It is most appreciated."

Jamie nodded and turned back to Jack. "Nicholas gave me the book. I help him make a few toys sometimes."

"I vas just cleaning out utility closet. It is no big deal."

"I've already told him about you." Jamie sat down again, spreading the book open on the table. "About how you're Jack Frost. He says that I should make more pictures."

"Jamie—"

Catching Jackson's slightly exasperated tone, North smiled and shook his head. But Jamie seemed hurt and confused at Jackson's voice. "Is is fine. Jamie believes I am Santa Claus. I suppose, with beard and shop, it vas inevitable. Jamie has been vaiting for you, Jackson. For his entire life." He gave Jackson a wink before turning to the table, taking the brush and walking over to the nearby sink to wash it under the stream of water.

He returned to the table and placed the brush in the tin holding several of them, and continued, "So vhere are you from, Jackson?"

"Cincinnati, originally. I just decided to set out for a trip, y'know? I'm not really headed anywhere in particular."

"Do you have career?" As he spoke, Nicholas pulled out a pair of plastic safety goggles and pulled them over his head. Approaching a large wooden block, Jackson's eyes widened when Nicholas lifted a chainsaw and began revving it. Jamie quickly moved behind Jackson.

"Um…no, not really…I—" He flinched when the chainsaw roared to life. " _I have a pretty good amount of money in savings, and—"_ The chainsaw bit into the block, sawdust spewing up in a yellow fountain. "AND I THINK I HAVE IT COVERED FOR NOW."

"VERY VELL." Nicholas bellowed over the roar. A chunk of wood fell from the block. "I COULD ALVAYS USE SOME HELP AT SHOP." He laughed at his own joke. "ANYVAY, I TRUST YOU HAVE MET MANSNOOZIE. VERY NICE, YES?"

"UM…YEAH. CAN WE STOP TALKING LIKE THIS?"

One last bit of wood fell before Nicholas killed the engine. He shook the sawdust from his beard and clothes. "Yes. Sorry. Velcome to Burgess, Jackson. I hope you find everything to your liking."

"Thanks." Jackson looked at the watch on his wrist, formed an 'oh' with his mouth, and said, "I have to get back to the inn if I'm going to have time to look around before I go." He nodded to Jamie and Nicholas in turn. "See you later, I guess."

"Bye, Jackson." "До свидания!"

When the teenager had exited the store, Jamie sighed and turned to the book. He opened it to his latest bookmarked page and sighed at his picture. "I'm never going to get him to believe before he goes, will I?"

North, who had put on his goggles and raised the chainsaw once again, lowered it with a sympathetic sigh for the boy. Jamie was the kindest kid he knew, and he was unfortunately very easily broken. He set the chainsaw down and smiled. "I think I have idea."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Sophie always had a funny was of sleeping. She slept on her stomach, her rear end in the air and her mouth hanging open. Jamie would walk by her room some nights on his way to the bathroom and laugh at it.

But now, he looked at his sleeping sister and felt close to hugging her. Instead, he extended one of his mittens and softly patted her head. "Goodbye, Sophie."

Pulling his hat down, he turned away before he started crying. He was already wearing a shirt, vest, jacket, hat and boots, but he still felt cold. He exited his sister's room without looking back.

His mother's room was at the end of the hall. Standing at the door, his head peeked into the gap of the door and the wall. His mother was so exhausted from work that she had not bothered to change into her pajamas or even pull over the blankets. She lay sprawled over the bed, one leg hanging off, her hair bun strewn and glasses resting on the nightstand. Jamie knew his mother was a dangerously light sleeper. Opening the door further would wake her, and she would see him, and ask what was wrong.

So instead, he stepped away from the door and crept back into his room. He was surprised to find that the white-haired winter spirit was already at the window, staring inside worriedly. Jamie opened the door, not bothering to close it.

Jack turned to the boy, gripping his staff tightly. Frost swirled up the wood. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be…"

…

When they arrived at the North Pole, even North was hardly up to talking.

Toothiana and Bunnymund were conversing in solemn voices. Cupid stood alone in the corner, watching the scene before him silently. Sandy was hovering near the windows, as if searching for something coming. Jamie knew that there was, he just didn't want to think about it.

North gave him a nod and turned to Jack. His voice was a low rumble. "Jack, you understand vhat vill happen. Sandy and Cupid vill remain here. It is vital that all of us accompany Jamie. Don't leave him."

Jack nodded stiffly. "Of course not."

North nodded and looked down at Jamie. He leaned down as close as he could with his large frame and took Jamie's shoulder.

"Jamie, vhat you are doing is braver than any of us could ever imagine. You are not only helping us, you are helping Man in Moon and all children. Thank you."

Jamie nodded with a lump in his throat. The more time that passed, the more anxious to go he felt.

North stood and turned to the other Guardians. "It is time."

* * *

Jackson spent the rest of the evening walking around the streets of Burgess. He found that the town held several interesting but common things, such as a pet store, a bakery, a history museum, etc. The school was beside the City Hall on the east side of town. The school had three buildings, one for elementary, one for high school, and a gym. There was a field for football practice as well. It had no other sports fields of its own. The West Village was essentially a large collection of neighborhoods on the other side of the Atherton River. Lake Buzwik was planted in the middle of the Village. The hospital was a few miles away, and, to his surprise, so was a zoo. He thought it would be enjoyable to visit, but by the time he finished walking around the stores, it was close to 5:30 and it was not within walking distance regardless. So instead, he swung back by the The Clover for dinner (Mr. Kozmotis was right, the spaghetti _was_ lovely) and retired to the hotel for the evening.

Half past seven, Jackson heard a knock at his door.

He sat up from the bed, setting his laptop aside. Rubbing a wrinkle from his sweater away, he opened the door with hope that it wasn't a six-foot-tall British man with shark teeth.

Instead, he found a ten-year-old boy with large brown eyes bouncing on his heels with a long wooden staff in his hands.

"Jamie? What are you doing here? Your Mom will—whoa, Jamie!"

He grunted when Jamie turned the staff to enter the room, accidentally hitting Jackson with the bend. Jackson looked out onto the parking lot to see if his mother was awaiting him, but she was nowhere to be seen. He shut the door to block out the chilling cold.

He turned to Jamie, who began speaking like a caffeinated chipmunk. "AlrightNicholas saidthatIcouldgiveyouthissinceitwasyoursandsinceitwentwithmeintotheportalIknowthatifyoutouchityou'll—"

"Jamie, slow _down!_ What are you saying? What's with the staff?"

Jamie took a deep breath. "This used to be yours. The Man in the Moon gave it to you."

"The who in the what now?"

"Man in the Moon. I'll explain later. But listen, you gave me this when you pushed me into the portal. I kept my memories when I went into the portal, so if you touch this, you should remember, too!"

Jackson took a deep, slow breath. He liked Jamie, he did, but this was going too far. Sneaking away from his mother during the day was one thing, but at night, in this weather? He'd give her a heart attack! "So you're saying that if I touch that staff…I'll remember being Jack Frost? And I'll remember the Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus, the Sandman and the Easter Bunny?"

" _Yes!"_

Jamie pushed the staff to him. Jackson gave him a hard look to tell him that this was no longer humorous. But just to prove a point, he raised his hands and, with another stern look, took it in his hands.

Silence passed.

When Jamie saw that Jackson's face remained one of indifference, he deflated. He stared up at Jackson, crestfallen. "You don't remember."

"Jamie, there was nothing _to_ remember."

"No, there is!"

"Jamie, that's enough. I thought it was funny for a while, but do you realize how late it is?"

"I came here to help you remember!"

"Jamie, I'm not going to remember because there was nothing to remember to begin with! I am Jackson Overland, not Jack Frost! All that stuff you say was _never real_."

"Then why do I remember it? Why did I recognize you when you came into town? Why else would I come here?"

"Jamie, please. I am tired of this. Unless you have something to convince me—"

"You're eighteen years old. Winter is your favorite time of year. Your favorite food is ice cream, your favorite flavor is strawberry. You like vanilla in your hot chocolate. Your favorite book is _Hamlet._ And sometimes, when you're lonely, you lay down and stare at the stars and wonder if there's someone out there that cares about you."

Jackson felt his stomach clench and his breath catch. He wanted to tell Jamie _enough,_ stop making this up, but he wasn't. All his words were true. He had turned eighteen this past August, and his favorite time of year was Winter, when snow fell either fluffy of thick and you could use it as powder or to build snowmen. He loved strawberry ice cream because it made him think of his memories of hot summer days, running to the ice cream truck with coins in his pocket. He liked vanilla in his hot chocolate because it reminded him of the way his home smelled like in autumn. He loved _Hamlet_ because he loved unhappy endings. He sometimes sits down, stares at the stars, and wonders if there will ever be someone who cares about him because, when your father kicks you out of the house at sixteen while your mother's away, leaving you with a bag of clothes and black eye, leaving your mother to sneak money into your funds without contact with you, _that's what you do._

"Jamie…how—?"

"I remember. I remember you and your friends. I remember _us_ being friends. I remember you saving my life, I remember thinking that you were dead and that it was all my fault. I remember seeing you today and thinking, 'He's alive!' and having to remember that you don't remember me." Jamie's voice broke like delicate porcelain, and his chocolate eyes welled with tears.

Jackson stared down at the staff. Somewhere, deep down, hardly even there, there was a seed of familiarity that he couldn't pinpoint.

" _Please._ I want to remember you. _Please_ believe me. _Please_ don't go."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Jamie felt himself crash onto hard ground in a blast of heat and cold.

It only took him half a second to realize it was a forest floor. He could feel his body sliding on fallen leaves, felt a thick root bruise his calf. His chin hit the ground and was scraped on impact, but he kept his mouth shut to avoid damage to his teeth. He felt a cut on his hand and felt the staff roll from his grip.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the portal vanish in a puff of wisps. Jumping through it was like falling through a wind tunnel, and all he could see was white.

He lifted himself up and looked around him. He was in a forest, though he had already known that. It was likely late into the night, as everything was blue and black. He heard crickets chirping loudly, and he could see a starry sky through the thick canopy. It was slightly chilly, but he was dressed prepared.

He grabbed the staff and swayed to his feet. He heard a snap of a twig behind him, and span around, resulting in whiplash. But no one was there. He felt dread creeping up on him. What if there were snakes he couldn't see? What if monsters lurked here? Should he stay here or wait until morning?

He heard another snap of a twig, farther away. But then there was another, closer. Jamie barely stopped to think before he stumbled in the other direction. Another twig snapped, clearly as if in warning. Jamie didn't take it. He began walking away, and when there was a shuffle of leaves, he took off sprinting.

He stumbled in the darkness of the forest, huffing and panting. The thing pursued him, twigs snapping, leaves sliding. Jamie stumbled over the roots and slid in the leaves. He held the staff closer, unwilling to lose it. He dared not turn around to see who it was.

He saw lights ahead, and continued in that direction. Whatever was behind him gained speed. He lurched forward, his heart pounding against his ribs and his breath hot. His vision was blurring from tears of tiredness and fear. He broke the forest line without knowing it, and his feet hit asphalt harshly, but he didn't stop running, because he heard the thing behind him hit the asphalt, too, and he kept running, not caring to look and—

There was a flash of light.

Jamie halted so suddenly he fell forward. His hands caught his face from hitting the asphalt, though the staff clattered onto it, and his hands were already cut and stung on impact. He couldn't bring himself to sit up, because whatever was ahead of him or behind him would surely get him first. So his squeezed his eyes shut, tears running down his face, waiting for whatever would come.

"Hey, mate. Hey, are you alright?"

He raised his head to the thick Australian voice. A man was shutting the door of a beaten-down silver truck, hurrying towards him. He wore dirty overalls and a gray T-shirt. His skin was quite sun-kissed, and black tribal tattoos covered his biceps and peeked through his neckline. With this, his ash-gray hair and striking green eyes, Jamie felt a jolt of familiarity. But surely, it couldn't be…

"Mate, what's wrong?" That was his voice, wasn't it? "What happened?"

Jamie was too dazed and focused on his voice to notice that the man was kneeling down to him, green eyes filled with worry, shaking his shoulder. The man took his thumb and lifted Jamie's chin with it, observing the bloody scrapes. "Talk to me, mate. What happened? Did someone take you?"

"I…I…Something was chasing m-me…"

The man lifted his eyes behind the child, and Jamie did the same, but found nothing. He felt himself being lifted to his feet.

"Probably a wolf, maybe a coyote. Jamie, what were you doing out there?"

"How do you know—?"

"Where you were? I didn't. Mate, you have the whole town out looking for you. Your mum's worried sick."

"My Mom?!" Jamie felt a pang of joy and confusion.

The man sighed and bent down to pick up the staff, handing it to Jamie and ushering him to follow to the truck. "Yeah, your mum. Jamie, come on. I'll take you home, mate. We need to get you patched up."

"B…But who are you?"

The man's look was sympathetic as well as confused. He put both of his hands on Jamie's shoulders and looked him in the eyes sincerely. "Mate, it's me. Aster. Why—?" He sighed and gently led Jamie to the passenger's side of the truck. "C'mon, let's get you home."

* * *

Sunlight shone through the curtains and pierced Jamie's eyelids.

The boy stirred and groaned, rolling over to avoid the rays. His eyelids were heavy with sleep, as was the rest of his body, and he was relieved that it was still the weekend. He could sit here and wait to get up when he was ready. His droopy eyes went to shut again before he saw his clock. 8:37. He felt something in his groggy self stir. Wasn't his alarm supposed to…?

His limp hand hit the button atop the clock. 8:37 flashed to 8:20 and back.

He'd set the alarm for the wrong hour.

He felt his body jolt in alarm. Jackson's bus would be leaving in less than twenty minutes!

He threw the blankets back and jumped out of bed, filled with sudden vigor. He stumbled for his boots, tugging them on before realizing that he was still in his pajamas. He considered changing, then realized that there was no time and bolted for the door, grabbing only his hat and jacket.

Sophie and even his mother were still asleep on this weekend morning. He quickly but silently flew down the stairs and unlocked the front door before tearing down the steps of his house.

Only after he exited the house, the bitter, sharp cold striking him through his thin pajamas, that he realized that he would have to run all the way out of the West Village to get to the bus stop Jackson was taking. Grabbing his bicycle, he stumbled on and zipped down the sidewalk and onto the road.

This was the farthest he'd ever gone on his bike. He rode down the entrance street and onto the crossing bridge, feeling a cold wind lap colder watery air against his face.

He saw the bus now. It was huffing and ready to go, but maybe if he hurried—

The bus moved forward, and Jamie's stomach lurched. His feet span in mad circles on the pedals. He moved faster and faster, but the bus turned the corner, and he did, too, but he did so too fast. He didn't crash, but he pulled the brake so fast that he had to jumped off and let the bike clatter.

The bus passed another corner and disappeared from sight. It was gone. Jackson was gone.

He felt the telltale signs of crying. He felt his throat burn, his eyes water, his lungs writher. His hands, stinging with cold, clenched and unclenched. He and the others would be stuck here, forever and ever…

"What—? Jamie, what are you doing?"

He heard footsteps padding for him, and felt something thick and warm on his back and shoulders before he could see who it was. But he recognized the voice, and, with a gasp of relief, saw the face of Jackson Overland, staring down at him in bemusement, breaths coming out in puffs of air.

"Jackson!" Despite himself, Jamie threw his arms around the teenager's waist and pulled him tight. He hadn't left!

"Yes, it's me. You're going to get yourself hypothermia, kid, what are you doing here?"

"I thought you left…"

Jackson's eyes softened. He sighed and knelt down to Jamie.

"Listen…what you said last night…Those things you told me, about remembering and those things you know about me…"

"You believe me now?!"

Jackson held up a finger, as if to say 'Whoa, buddy, slow down.' "Hold on. Most of those things you may have just guessed or heard from someone else." Except for the stars thing, but he didn't say that. "And don't forget your Mom could have cut my nose off if she found out I was with you. _However…_ "

Jamie held his breath.

"…I may just stay here a while."

Jamie laughed uncontrollably and hugged Jackson again. Jackson paused awkwardly—this had to be the most attaching kid he'd ever met—but gave him a squeeze with one arm. Then he stood, pulling his coat around Jamie tighter, and motioned them away. "Alright, come on. You need to get home before you or your mother dies."

Jamie chuckled, still giddy with glee, and pulled up his bicycle. Then he paused, staring upwards, and Jackson asked, "What's wrong?"

His voice caught Jamie's attention, and the boy said, "Nothing. Want to come over for breakfast?"

"Will that be okay with your mother?"

"Probably not…"

They chuckled, and Jamie pulled himself onto his bicycle. Jackson asked who the Man in the Moon was, and Jamie told him, and their entire conversation was absorbed.

What Jackson hadn't noticed were the small, white flakes drifting from the sky all over Burgess.

The first snow in eighteen years.

* * *

**MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES ALREADY LISTED:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack

Tooth Fairy

**If you would like to extend the list, please do so.**


	5. Untold Secrets P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jackson is introduced to Jamie's friend: a teenager studying in dentistry whose counterpart had a talk with a certain someone just before the Fall.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

Thanks to everyone for the support!

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

The sword in her left hand was as long as her leg. It was made of pure silver, the surface carved with intricate designs as soft as a feather's touch. The sword was delicately curved almost in a wisp, but could cut a diamond in half.

The sword in her right hand was shorter. Made of raw bronze, the designs were bold and harsh. The blade was wickedly sharp, with a hook on its inside. It was almost a sickle.

Toothiana held her breath as she held the weapons. How long had it been since she'd grasped them? She'd no idea. Her small hands were protected by the gold plates of the grips. She held the blades away from her.

Toothiana's room at North's workshop wasn't nearly as spectacular as her palace. To be fair, she very, _very_ rarely spent time there. There was a large satin cushion for her bed, one gargantuan dresser, and a few miscellaneous items. The windows let the stark white light of the North Pole pour onto the floorboards.

She hated leaving her Fairies at the palace, but there was no possible way that North would allow them all to stay there at the Pole. He'd been stressed enough as it is, and it took Toothiana at least a century herself before she became used to the never-ending chirping and tweets. Baby Tooth and the others were tending to deliveries.

When the door to her bedroom swung open, Toothiana jumped so harshly in midair that the swords clattered to the floor.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Bunnymund held his paws up defensively. Toothiana let out a shuddering breath when she saw that it was just him. "Don't get off your bike. It's just me."

He quickly bounded over to the fairy queen. She hovered downwards to collect her swords, and he was about to help her pick up the second one before deciding against it. Toothiana sloppily set the swords upon the dresser.

"Sorry," she laughed softly. "I'm just…I mean, I'm not used to being here in the North Pole, I'm worried about the fairies, I'm worried about Jamie…I'm nervous."

"We all are." Bunnymund patted a paw on one of her soft shoulders. "Don't worry about it."

Toothiana nodded, but Bunnymund could tell that she was still worried. She opened her mouth, shook her head, and turned away from him, flitting about restlessly. "What if it doesn't go right? What if it's all done in five seconds?"

"Then there's no harm done. We appreciate the help, Sheila, but you don't have to do this."

"But I feel like I do."

Toothiana's eyes turned to the windows. Another reason that she missed her palace so. By this time, she'd be watching the sun, a burning yolk, setting on the horizon, sending the pink clouds aflame and casting mysterious shadows upon the mountains. Here, she could scarcely see the white and gray canyons of ice through the haze of snow.

"Man in the Moon...he said that you'd be the best person for this. I'm not going to be able to say that'll help much, but…just know that if you mess up, you haven't done anything wrong."

Toothiana nodded shakily before turning back to her swords. She grasped them again and held them firmly. She'd need to be strong, and brave.

* * *

Adjusting to life in Burgess was much easier than Jackson presumed it would be.

Finding a place to live was his first priority, naturally. He was surprised to find that the Sweet Dreams Inn was actually an apartment hotel, something he learned from walking around the third and fourth levels. The Sweet Dreams in had sixteen inn rooms and sixteen apartment rooms. Mr. Mansnoozie happily let him move in to apartment 403, which held two rooms, a bedroom and a kitchen/living room. The apartment was six-hundred dollars. If he was careful, utilities could be kept at one hundred and twenty dollars. Cable and internet would be seventy dollars, groceries he could do without (part for snack foods and drinks), and all other utilities he estimated would round out to five hundred dollars. He was probably looking at one thousand, two hundred and sixty-five dollars monthly. Purchasing it took out a small chunk in his savings. He would need to refill it later to repay his mother.

So, living place: taken care of. Adding the homely details could be added later. Now he needed a job and maybe a car, or even a bicycle. This would actually be harder. But the newspaper added the jobs needed, even if there were few. He could be a cashier at the gas station, a delivery boy for the newspaper, or a vender at the zoo. Those were the only options available at the time.

Now, he sits at The Clover for breakfast. The eggs were a bit mushy and peppered, but the biscuit and bacon were good. He'd been in Burgess for a week now. He'd done little things. He'd renewed his driver's license at the car depot, got a library card and a few books, and memorized a few of the locations. Jamie kept a constant watch on him, making sure he was as comfortable as possible. Saturday had rolled around again, so no school for Jamie.

When the boy entered the restaurant in a gust of cold wind (the snow had fallen to a few inches), the first thing Jackson noticed was the napkin in his mouth. As Jamie approached, Jackson's eyes widened. The napkin was spotted with blood. "Whoa…you okay, sport?"

Jamie opened his mouth, flashing the gap where a tooth was once rooted before dabbing it with the napkin again.

"Yeesh. What happened?"

"I lost a tooth."

"Yeah, I see that. How?"

"I was sledding and hit a tree root. I fell forward."

"You okay?"

"Just bleeding." He seated himself in the booth, placing his telltale book on the table. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the slightly bloodied tooth that had been lost. "I'm going to go give this to my friend Tooth soon."

"Wait, who are you giving your tooth to?"

"What? Oh, no. Tooth's just a nickname. Her real name is Ana."

Jackson nodded slowly at first—after all, what kind of name was that?—before nodding quicker and smirking. Jamie was giving a girl one of his teeth…"Let me guess."

Jamie opened the book to the page of the half-hummingbird woman with bug like wings and large amethyst eyes.

"The Tooth Fairy," finished Jamie.

"Thought so," replied Jack. He downed the rest of his coffee and reached into his wallet for his money. "And you're going to give a dismembered, bloody bone structure to a girl because…?"

"She pays me every time I lose a tooth." Jamie opened his mouth and showed one of his still-growing molars. "She gave me five bucks for this one a few weeks ago."

"Five bucks? Geez, that's more than I've made in a year."

Jamie giggled and tucked his book into the inside pocket of his vest. The blood flow had ceased, his tongue occasionally darting out to lick away some spare droplets. "Tooth's _crazy_ about teeth. She keeps pretty much every kid's teeth in a box in her home. He jerked his head towards the door. "Want to come with?"

"How far is her house?"

"She's only home at night. She's always at the college or the dentist's office, and since it's the weekend, and her shift at the zoo is at one on the weekends—" Jamie took a deep breath of air "—she's probably at the dentist's office. That's what she's studying to be."

"Alright, let's go." Jackson pulled out a five and two ones and placed them on the table. He followed Jamie outside into the blowing cold, pulling his jacket tighter around him. He'd need to find a heavier jacket somewhere soon, because this one didn't cut it.

Jamie stepped along the edge of the sidewalk. There was no way in any life that his mother would allow him on a bicycle in this weather. The roads were slick with ice.

"So how are the therapy sessions going?"

Jamie bit his lip. For some reason, having Jackson know about his therapy sessions with Dr. Thaddeus was embarrassing. Given, not as embarrassing as having mothers pull their children closer when he approached, but embarrassing. "Fine. I guess. Dr. Thaddeus is still kind of iffy on you being Jack Frost."

Jackson nodded. He had met Dr. Thaddeus only briefly one. Jamie had informed him that he was his therapist, and although he worked to help Jamie 'outgrow' his 'obsession', he actually had no problem with it. "Speaking of which, how's the plan coming?"

Jamie's face perked up. 'The plan' referred to Jamie's plan to help the Guardians regain their memories and return to their former selves. "I haven't gotten anywhere lately, but maybe if we talk around with some people, they might remember something about you."

Jackson glanced at him. "Did you invite me to visit the Tooth Fairy because you wanted money or progress?"

"Either-or."

The dentist's office was across two streets from The Clover. It was a small brick building with a bright green door and bright orange, ceramic "Spanish" tiles on the roof. Marigold bushes sat outside. A small painted sign hung amongst them, reading: _Burgess Family Dentistry._

Opening the door, they entered the small lobby, containing two cushioned benches and a chair. A static television played some old rerun of _I Love Lucy._ There was only one other person in the dentistry, a tall brunette with rosy red lips. Jamie leaned up to the reception window and rapped on the glass. "Tooth?" he called.

"I'm back here!" a voice called behind the glass and towards the back of the building. "Come on back."

Jamie turned to Jackson as he pushed open the door to the hallway. There were four rooms and a bathroom, from what Jackson could see. Jamie turned to Jackson and explained, "Dr. Peikko, Dr. Karius and Dr. Bactus are the only dentists that work here. Tooth just hangs around for extra work for her record…whatever that means."

They entered the document room. There were five shelves of documents ready, in manila folders. The room smelled of old paper and was rather dark. One lamp was in the far corner, though Jackson could only see the light it shown from behind the shelf. He could see a large shadow moving. The shadow's owner was large, he could see, with sharp claws for hands. He could see it fiddling with some folders (maybe?) and shifting.

"Tooth?"

The shadow moved backwards and approached them. Jackson unknowingly stepped back as it approached them, its figure looming. And it turned the corner of one of the shelves…

…revealing the owner to be short teenager with a perky smile. "Hey, Jamie! Nice to see one of the kids still visits me."

'Tooth' was about a head shorter than Jackson, and probably about a year or so younger. Her head came to his shoulders. She had a…exotic appearance. She had smooth olive skin and large amethyst eyes lined in thick eyelashes. They had to be colored contacts. Her chocolate hair was in two braids that hung halfway between her shoulders and elbows, highlighted with gold and streaked with slight bits of green and blue. She was pretty, Jackson had no doubt, but very…outlandish-looking. She was dressed in a white lab coat with _Ana_ printed on the left breast. Bright pink jeans poked out from underneath it and brown boots went halfway to her knees.

She walked past Jamie to another shelf behind him. Jackson noticed that her movements were quick and twitchy, almost hummingbird-like. "And to what honor do I have this visit?"

"I lost another tooth."

A smile went from ear-to-ear across her face. _Gosh,_ her teeth were white. Jackson wanted to say bleached, but they seemed naturally (if not unearthly) pearly. "Did you, now?"

Jamie nodded and pulled out the tooth in question. He held it out to her. "M'lady."

Tooth took the bloodied piece of bone without so much as twitching. She placed it carefully in her breast pocket and dug out five bucks in its place. "M'lord," she replied as she passed it to Jamie.

"This is Jackson." Jamie jerked his head to Jackson as he placed the money in his pocket.

Tooth's large amethyst eyes turned to the taller teenager with a pleasant smile. "Hello, Jackson. I've heard a lot about you." She held out a hand, and Jackson took it with a single shake. Either her hands were very small or his were very big.

"Hi. Um…I haven't heard too much about you."

She laughed shortly. She _did_ have a cute laugh. "I'm Ana Punjam, also known as 'Tooth'. Nice to meet you."

"You, too. Jamie told me about you. So, uh…you collect children's teeth?"

"Sounds gross, I know. But since Jamie came to me with the Tooth Fairy…" she glanced down at the said child. "…identity, I decided it would be a nice thing to do. My parents did the same thing for me."

Jamie glanced between the two of them. An idea seemed to form in his head, and with a smirk, he said, "You should look at Jackson's teeth."

Jackson turned to him with a look of bemusement. "My what?"

When Tooth seemed just as confused, Jamie explained, "His teeth are really good. Almost as good as yours."

"I wouldn't say tha— _augh!"_

Jackson's statement was muffled when Tooth suddenly pulled his lips open. She tilted his head this way and that, looking at every tooth in his mouth. Jackson sent a panicked look to Jamie, who only giggled.

"Wow," Tooth breathed. "Like freshly fallen snow…" She seemed to realize her words a moment later, and stepped back with a nervous giggle and a blush. "Sorry. I just like teeth...a lot…"

"I picked that up," sighed Jackson. He ran his tongue over his lips where she touched them. Was it weirder that he noted it, or was it weirder that she tasted like mint?

She coughed and turned to Jamie. "Any updates you want to tell me about?"

"I think Dr. Pérez is the Tooth Mouse?" Jamie pulled out his book and opened to a page with a crudely drawn mouse in a hat. "I don't know; it's hard to tell."

"I'm just about done for today," Tooth said as she approached a leather satchel seated on a chair. She removed her lab coat, pausing in her white sweater before pulling on a thick cobalt-blue coat. She folded the coat into the bag and heaved it over her shoulder. "I'm heading home before I hang out for a bit. Do you gentlemen have any plans?"

Jamie shook his head as the three of them entered the hall. "Not really."

"I'm going to look around for a job," Jackson said.

As Tooth pushed open the door to the lobby, pulling a pair of white gloves onto her hands, she said, "You know, I think Aster is—"

"Jamie?"

Miranda Bennett's eyes narrow behind the lenses of her glasses. She leans away from the reception window and asks, "What are you doing here?"

"Hanging out with Tooth," replied Jamie. His eyebrows furrowed and he frowned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm scheduling Sophie's next appointment," replied Miranda. Her eyes went to Jackson. With a pause, she placed her hands on her hips. She recognized him. He was the man that her son was suddenly hanging around, the one who called her to ask where he was, the one who had caused her son to speed out on a bicycle in freezing weather _twice._ "And why are you with…?"

"Jackson Overland."

Miranda nodded slowly, recalling the name, before turning to her son. "You didn't tell me you were hanging out with Jackson."

"…You didn't ask…?"

"Jamie, I thought I said you were only allowed to stay in The Clover when no one's watching after you."

"I was going to give Tooth the, well, tooth I lost."

Miranda sighed and turned to the teenager with an exasperated frown. "You're still collecting the teeth?"

Tooth shrunk at her words. Usually, the other adults just laughed awkwardly or bemusedly. Many had grown used to the oldest Punjam girl collecting the teeth of the town's children and putting them in ornament boxes. But Miranda always questioned her; always saw the weirdness in it and nothing else. Though, Tooth supposed, perhaps it was because she was wanting to do collect Jamie's teeth herself. "Yes, ma'am." She gave an awkward thumbs-up. "He only has four left. Ha-ha…"

"Jamie, I want you to ask me before hanging out with people I don't know."

Jamie flushed with embarrassment. "I know Tooth. And I know Jackson."

"But I don't."

"You didn't know Tooth."

"Ana's different."

"How?"

"Jamie, we're not talking about this anymore. I want you to go out to the car now."

"Why?!"

"Because I said so."

"Um…" Tooth cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ms. Bennett, I'm sorry to interrupt, but don't you think you should do this in a more private—"

"Ana, didn't you say that you had somewhere to be?"

"I—"

" _Ana."_

Jackson watched as the brunette flinched and hung her head low as she stepped past the agitated mother. The door opened and closed in a gust of cold, leaving Jackson to catch a glimpse of her pulling a pair of fuzzy earmuffs onto her head. Jamie glared up at his mother. "Don't talk to her like that! You're always mean to her!"

"Jamie, don't talk to _me_ like that. Get in the car, now."

"I—"

" _Now_ , Jamie!"

Jamie glowered at his mother with the intensity of a fully grown adult. Miranda glowered back with one hand raised to point to the exit. Jamie pulled his vest around him and his book close as he stormed past her and slammed the door behind him.

Jackson didn't know what to do. Even if Miranda's treatment of Tooth was uncalled for, she had a point. Jamie was hanging around with a recent stranger who he never talked about. A stranger who, for some reason, had her son with him for an unusual amount of time. He knew how mothers were, they got worried. And probably hurt, if their sons preferred to spend more time with strangers than with themselves.

Miranda turned to him, pulling her leather jacket together. "Would you mind telling me when you're going to be with my son, and where?"

"Yes, Ms. Bennett. I'm sorry."

Miranda nodded slowly. Jackson got the feeling that she was expecting him to be uncooperative. "Thank you. And please don't think I'm being rash. I don't know you."

Jackson held up his hands. "I thought you knew where we were. I'll ask from now on."

"…Alright." Miranda murmured something to the receptionist before turning for the door. "Goodbye, Jackson."

"Goodbye, Ms. Bennett."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Though the cold didn't bother Toothiana very much (her feathers seized together in the cold to cover her skin), she was agitated with the accompanying symptoms. Cold usually meant blasting wings, intense snowstorms, and ice flakes that stung into her eyes and wings. This usually had her stumbling off course and wouldn't be so much of a problem if she could fly lower to the ground. But she couldn't risk being seen by a child, lest they have a fit and alert their parents.

So she was at least thankful when she arrived in the cold airs of Burgess peacefully. In the forest, things were dark and crisp. Frost lined the leaves and stems, and she pondered if a familiar winter spirit had anything to do with that. She recognized the trees, the roots, the feeling of unnameable dread.

The entrance was blocked by the barrier of golden sand made by the maker himself. It could only be passable if one had it upon them beforehand. Toothiana removed the pouch at her hip and poured out the teaspoon-worth of Dreamsand onto her palm. She brushed it through her crest and bodily feathers, making sure to leave the pouch in the roots lest it be taken in the process.

She passed a toe-less foot into the barrier, and easily slid through. The rest of her body sunk into it, and the cold blueness of the night was replaced with an icy darkness. She maneuvered carefully into the chasm, feeling the icy stone walls with her small hands until there was nothing left but what lay underneath.

What had once being a never-ending land of black stone and gilded gray cages, a labyrinth of stairs and halls, with the crude imitation of the Globe, was now nothing. The floor stretched on forever in a gray haze. When she hovered close to it, the haze didn't move.

She could see only one shape other than herself in the void. Hovering close, she recognized the telltale traits. The black cloak, the ashen skin, the hair like spider legs. Kneeling on the floor, his head hung and his spindly hands in his lap. He didn't stir even when he knew she was there.

"And to what purpose do I have this visit, your majesty?" Pitch spat.

* * *

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack

Tooth Fairy

**If you would like to extend the list, please do so.**


	6. Untold Secrets P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Jamie's relationship with his mother is further strained, Jackson seeks out a job. Prior to this, Toothiana tried to negotiate the nonnegotiable.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

I DO NOT OWN.

* * *

And so, Jackson spent the rest of the day tending to his priorities.

He went to the automobile lot, attempting to see if a vehicle suited for him would be there. Unfortunately, the manager wasn't present at the time and the only other workers hadn't the slightest ideas what they were doing. So, a half-hour spent looking and inspecting vehicles was wasted.

He went shopping after that. He carried staple items in his basket: two cereal boxes, two soda bottles, a bag of chips, milk, bread, peanut butter, jelly, etc. all for around a dollar a piece (excluding three dollars for the milk and two for the bread). He also had a pair of gloves, socks, toothpaste and deodorant.

He was strolling down the fruit and veggies aisle of the local general store (the Hoot-N-Dollar), examining a box of peaches. He had accidentally tripped backwards over a stray orange and fell back without warning. He cried out when he hit a mass of objects that fell in a thunder to the floor. The sound was similar to a load of bouncy-balls falling, and when he sat up, he grimaced at the display of apples now rolling all over the tiles.

"Wha-? Oh, you've got to be tossin' me…"

Jackson felt himself being tugged up with a single hand. He recognized the person in question as the farmer that Jamie had pointed out. Aster, wasn't it? He was taller than six feet tall, with broad muscles underneath suntanned skin. In dirty overalls and a dark blue T-shirt, Jackson could see the black tribal tattoos on his biceps and chest. How old was he? His face was young (handsome, but Jackson didn't really want to linger on that) with striking green eyes, but his hair was stark gray.

Aster huffed as he pulled Jackson—a hundred-and-fifty-three pound male—to his feet with the ease as knife through soft butter. "I _just_ got done with this stuff, mate."

"I didn't…I mean, I tripped over something."

Aster lifted up one of the apples around them and glared at its red skin. "And now they'll all be bruised."

"Sorry…?"

There was a shout and a yelp as a woman with a grocery bag fell back on one of the apples and crashed with a spray of groceries. Jackson and Aster flinched. "…And now I'll probably be blamed for that."

"Yeah…"

"Alright, why don't you stand over there while I clean this up?" Aster gave him a gentle prod away from the mess.

"I can help—"

"You've helped enough."

Jackson felt the no-nonsense, grumpy, ill-tempered attitude emitting from him. This was the exact type of person he didn't want to run into in Burgess. He didn't blame the guy—he _did_ knock over the display, but it was an accident. No need to act as if it was on purpose.

"I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, I heard you," Aster huffed dismissively. He placed the apples in his hands inside the rectangular display, probably just to get them off the floor before picking them up later.

Jackson clicked his tongue. "Yeah. Well. I'm Jackson. Nice to meet you, I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, I know who you are. Can't say the same for the latter."

Alright. Let's try one more time, see if this will work out. "So how do you know me, exactly? Did Jamie tell you?" He made sure to add a bit of humor into the last sentence.

Aster, however, was anything but amused. Already kneeling to collect more of the fruit, he sent Jackson an icy glare over his shoulder. "No. Miranda told me. Good job getting Jamie into more of a mess than it already was." Okay. No. This wasn't going to work. That was it.

"I didn't mean to do that."

"You didn't mean to hang out with him without telling his mum? Away from other people? Alone?"

"Alright, first of all, I thought he already told his _mum_ where he was. I didn't invite him to come to my hotel room, he just showed up and I sent him home with North. That's it. That's all that happened, thank you."

Whether if it was because of the assertiveness or the mocking of the accent (alright, maybe _that_ was uncalled for), Aster's gaze went icier already. He stood to his full height and turned to the teenager. "So if I tell you to stay away from Jamie, you will?"

"If I'm with Jamie, it'll be with adult supervision. Okay?"

Aster didn't say anything for a long moment. He simply shook his head and muttered "wanker" under his breath before strolling away.

* * *

"You can try, but you can't glare a hole into that thing."

Jamie only raised his eyes from the dashboard of the vehicle to glare at his mother a moment. Miranda immediately dropped her smile. Jamie hadn't spoken a word since they'd left the dentistry. With Sophie away at a friend's birthday party, the minivan was silent.

"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."

Jamie glanced to glare at her once again silently. Miranda thought that he would remain silent again until Jamie said, "Tooth tried to tell you about that."

Miranda sighed inwardly. She knew that she treated Ana too harshly. She kept trying to improve herself, and she thought that she was, but every time she was near Ana, it seemed that she was in a bad mood. Out of all of Burgess, Jamie defended Ana more than anyone else. Well, as much as her little sister did, anyway.

"And I'm sorry that I talked like that to Ana again. And to Jackson."

At his name, Jamie's glare shifted from the dashboard to the passing street.

"You know you were supposed to stay in The Clover."

"Yeah, I know."

"And you're supposed to tell me when you're leaving The Clover to hang out with your friends."

"You never said that."

Miranda glanced at him. "I didn't?"

"No. Because whenever you find out that I left The Clover to go to Aster's farm, or when you find out that I left to go to the Santoff Claussen, you always brush it off. You say, 'That's okay'. You only freaked out because I was with Jackson."

"That's not true, Jamie."

"It isn't?"

"…I don't _know_ Jackson, Jamie. I don't know anything about him. For all I know, he can be a convicted criminal."

"Peter could be a convicted criminal. When I went to play video games at his house without telling you, you didn't say anything."

"Oh. Well. I know Peter, and I know his mother very well."

"If you knew Peter, you would know that that isn't his name. It's Tommy."

Miranda nearly smacked her forehead into the steering wheel. She hated when her eleven-year-old son got the upper hand on her. If George were here, he'd be laughing his head off at his son's sarcasm. "Alright. I see your point."

"Good."

"But I still need you to tell me when you're with Jackson. Alright? Just…we need to start talking about things."

"Alright. I want to talk about who my friends really are."

"Jamie…"

"You don't want to talk now, do you?"

"That's all you ever _want_ to talk about!"

"The last time I brought it up with you was six months ago. I remember because the next day you made me start my sessions with Dr. Thaddeus."

Ouch. Miranda flinched. "Just tell me when you're with Jackson alone!"

"Why?"

"Because I'm your mother, that's why!"

"Jackson may be a stranger, but he treats me better than you do, _Mom!_ "

And with that, Jamie climbed out of the vehicle and slammed the door behind him, leaving Miranda stunned and speechless.

He stomped into the house, ignoring his mother's calls and marched up the stairs. He stormed into his room and slammed the door behind him…

…before reaching under his bed for the rope of bed sheets he always had handy. He opened his window, letting in a howl of cold wind, and tossed it out. Hooking the other end to the bedpost, he carefully latched around it and began carefully climbing down the side of his house. He hit the snowy ground with a crunch of ice and took off running.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Pitch rose to his feet, his cloak pooling at the ground. When did he begin to dress like such? She remembered when his clothes were imperial, with a high collar and silver stitching, with the embroidery of a swirling mass on his chest.

"Sorry for the mess," he snipped at her. "I don't really get the chance to clean up the place."

Toothiana opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. After a few too many moments of silence, she meekly uttered, "…Hello, Pitch."

"…Alright…This is civil. What do you want?'

"I'm here to deliver a message."

"You can tell Sleepy-Head that he can stop worrying about his pretty widdle dreams. Sometimes nightmares just happen naturally. I have nothing to do with it."

"Yes, yes, I know. But this message isn't from Sandy."

"North, then? Or what about Bunnymund? Oh, I will be _so_ joyous if Frosty's wanting to talk to me."

Toothiana huffed to herself and said, "It's from Tsar Lunar."

Pitch stiffened, if only slightly so. He didn't speak for a moment, and when he did, it was dryer than usual, even for him. "And what does _Manny_ want to talk of?"

"He wants to make you an offer. To come with us."

Pitch's expression, when he turned to her, was bland and uninterested. "For what?" He made an "oh" shape with his mouth, pointing his index finger upwards. "Oh, _that._ The 'Big Event'. The 'Big Bang', if you will."

"He says that it's your choice."

"And why would he care about me coming along?"

"Maybe because he cares?"

Pitch chuckled dryly, giving Toothiana a wry smile. "Now, now, Toothie, dear, you're smarter than that. Tsar Lunar does not care about me in the slightest."

"He did once."

Pitch halted.

"…some time ago, he did."

Pitch finally seemed to crack just in the slightest. She knew that she should have taken that opportunity to do something significant, but what? What could _she_ say? Oh, someone else should have come.

"Maybe…maybe he's forgiven you? Again? You know him, he doesn't say much…"

Pitch took a deep breath and stared into the void of emptiness that was his cage. Toothiana caught the glimpse of his old self, the Kozmotis Pitchiner that had reformed from a pit of despair into a high throne before falling deeper. "No, he doesn't, does he?"

"And…After all that's happened last year, maybe…maybe he wants to start over?"

When Pitch's shoulders curled inwards, Toothiana's stomach clenched. She's said something wrong. It was happening all over again! "What happened last year was of his own doing."

"Pitch—"

" _All_ that has happened was of his own doing! He brought all that has happened to his precious little children upon himself!" As he spoke, Pitch turned to her with his bony fists curled at his sides. His dark eyes, glazed in gold, were ablaze with fury.

"Pitch, please—!"

"He _exiled_ me! He brought me up, told me that all was well, and right when he said that that was that, he put me back where I came from."

Toothiana felt a voice of objection rise into her throat. "You rejected the offer. He offered you to become one of us, and you said no."

"Fear kept children alive! Not your…your flimsy beliefs and dreams! What was I supposed to do?"

"Change your ways?"

Pitch suddenly swung a fist at her. At the last moment, it hit his invisible prison, and gold shimmered where it made contact. Toothiana immediately jumped back out of instinct, her tail feathers flaring in alarm.

" _Who are you to tell me to change my ways? My answer is no! NO! Leave me! Leave me be!"_

Toothiana didn't know what else to say. Backing away from the barrier, she only suffered few more of Pitch's words before spinning around and exiting the lair.

She'd failed.

* * *

"Can I help you—Wait."

Jackson stepped back as Jamie pushed past him into his apartment. The boy paused for a moment, taking in the small altercations—a few pictures in frames, a jacket spread on the back of a blue armchair—before collapsing on the green sofa. The glass door in the left wall led onto a balcony, but the view was a subpar one of the nearby rooftops. The bathroom and bedroom were through the small hallway.

"No, no, no, no, you can't be here." Jackson closed the door before approaching the child.

"Don't worry about my mom. I can deal with her. Now, since you said you needed a job—"

"No, it's not that. Well, it sort of is. Just, look, we're not supposed to hang out with each other alone."

"We won't be alone in just a minute. I want you to look at this."

Jamie pulled out a scrap of paper from the spine of his book. Jackson took it and unfolded it. it must have been a segment from _The Burgess News,_ the local newspaper in the small town. He read it to himself.

_Assistant needed at the Warren Farm. Assistant will need skills in gardening, including weeding, plowing, planting and harvesting. Assistant will also need to deliver products locally. Pay is $7.50 per hour. Please see…_

"Oh. Well, thanks for…"

… _E. Aster Warren._

"Nope. No, not going to work."

Jamie's smile fell instantly. "Why not?"

"Look, I met Aster this morning and I will assure you that he hates my guts right now. And I thought you said he owned the flower shop."

"He owns the farm _and_ the flower shop." Jamie rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "Aster's mean to everyone he meets at first. And he's so desperate for help that he'll give you the job regardless."

"I'd rather not."

"If you don't, I'll tell Mom that you kidnapped me." Jamie's eyebrows rose on the last syllable.

"…Alright, let's go."

* * *

Aster snapped the lid onto the coffee machine and hit the _Brew_ button. The machine suddenly groaned in protest, as if in pain, and he sighed before hitting it with his fist. It spewed the black liquid into the mug underneath it with a huff of steam. Heaven knows he needed a new one, but never seemed to remember to buy one. For now, it was gritty water with a shot of black.

A knock pounded at the door, and he sighed as he walked through the kitchen to answer it. Before he replied, he called, "Who is it?" The last thing he wanted right now was that bloody dill Kozmotis asking for his loan money back.

"It's me, Jamie!"

Aster's eyebrow rose, but he went to undo the chain and lock. "What are ya doin' here now? Miranda didn't say—"

When he opened the door, the first things he saw was a familiar, fell-down-the-ugly-tree-and-hit-every-branch-on-the-way-down' face and a scrap of newspaper with his notice written on it.

"No."

Jamie's face dropped into a frown in the split second it took for him to slam the door. He put the chain back into its place, but Jamie was already pounding on the door again. "Asteeer! Come on!"

"Ain't happenin', mate. Not for that bloke."

Through the door, he heard a snort and a quiet, "I told you…"

"He really needs a job!"

"And there are places in town that really needs workers. Take him there."

"Who else are you going to hire?"

"Anyone but him. And _you_ aren't supposed to be with him. I'm calling Miranda right now."

"Mom said that I'm allowed to hang out with Jackson if I'm with another adult. And _you're_ here."

"On the other side of the door."

"Which means that, if he hurts me, you won't be able to stop it."

Jackson immediately turned to him with a look of horror. "What—?!" The door pulled open, and Aster glared at him dryly. "Oh, come _on_!"

Jamie took the scrap of paper from Jackson's hands and waved it at Aster. "He can do everything that you need him to do."

Aster turned his eyes to the teenager in question, looking him up and down. Jackson swore that, in one word, his look was, _unconvinced._ " _You_ know how to farm? You look like you've never seen a speck a' dirt in your life."

"I helped around for some summer-break money. So…yeah…"

"And you have a license for driving?"

Jackson reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the plastic card, passing it to him. Aster read over it for a moment before handing it back with a sigh. "This isn't going to be a 'pluck the flowers and give 'em to Granny' job, alright? You'll actually be working."

"I understand that."

"…Fine. We'll try you out for a few days, and see where it goes."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

It was odd, how something so important could be so contained.

Bunnymund watched the drop of liquid within the vial. It did not touch the sides, but hovered between them, as if suspended there. What color was it? It seemed like water, taking the color of its surroundings, but was slightly gold in hue.

He heard a knock at the door of his room, and set the vial down to answer it. When he pulled the door open, he jumped back at the blur of blue and green speeding past him.

"I failed!" Toothiana flew around the room in a panic, her amethyst eyes already misty. Her feathers stood on end, and her wings beat with her words. The last he'd seen her like this, her fairies had been kidnapped by Nightmares. "I didn't do it! I completely ruined it all!"

"What happened?"

She took a deep breath, and explained in a rush, "I went to Pitch. And we talked, and I almost convinced him, and I said something wrong, _again,_ and I—I—"

"Sheila, shush, calm down." Bunnymund waved his paws at her, and she inhaled deeply. She hovered down, and he placed his paws on her forearms. "It's fine. I already told you, you didn't have to do it."

"I know…But I thought that I could…"

"Tooth, if you thought that this was going to change…Just…Look, Pitch isn't one to change his mind, alright? He's a nutcase and you shouldn't feel like you owe him anything."

Toothiana nodded slowly. Everything would be fine. Bunnymund was right, she'd tried and that was all she could do. She didn't owe it to Pitch, not after all the things he's done. But...the Man in the Moon was the wisest being to ever exist, and if he said that Pitch should be invited, then that was it, right?

She wished she had better speaking skills. She could never voice her feeling correctly, could never negotiate appropriately. Her bark had no bite. And after what had happened...well, she couldn't...

Her mind seemed to light then, and she jumped at her own idea. Now, where to look…

"Bunny…Do you know where…You-Know-Who is now?"

"Um…No, but I think…I mean, it's still the grotto—" Bunnymund cut short when he saw Toothiana's vigorous nod. He shook his head slowly, then firmly. "No. No, no, no, not after what happened."

"Bunny—"

"Don't you 'Bunny' me! Why do you want to talk to _that thing?!_ "

"Maybe if I apologize to him, and set things right, then I'll know how to negotiate with Pitch."

"There is absolutely no way that I'm going to let you! How could you even _forgive_ something like that?!"

"I know what happened was horrible, but I'm better now. And what happened was punishment enough, so why wouldn't I?"

Bunnymund seemed to pause then, as if remembering something that she did not. But he pursed his lips and said nothing of it. "Just…Look, I—"

"I know, I know. But I don't know how much longer we have. And it's not like I'll be attacked. I'll be back really soon."

Before he could protest, she patted his head and chirped "Bye!" and took off through the door. On her way through the hall, she sped past a strolling winter spirit that stumbled in surprise. He stared after her for a moment, before turning to Bunnymund. "Where's she off to?"

"…To get herself killed…" Bunnymund sighed heavily.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	7. Untold Secrets P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble arises when Tooth and her younger sister are put in potential danger. Bunnymund once worried about the Toothiana's safety, for good reason.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

I DO NOT OWN.

* * *

The phone rang out.

Miranda sighed as she lifted her hands from the soapy dishwater and flicked the spare beads off. She dried her hands off with a nearby towel and picked up in the middle of the second ring. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mom."

Miranda paused. Why on earth was Jamie calling her from upstairs? She exited the kitchen, pausing at the banister, and was halfway up the staircase when she replied, "Jamie, why are you calling me?"

"You said that I had to tell you when I hang out with Jackson."

Miranda sighed and pushed open Jamie's door. "That's not what I—"

Jamie's room was completely bare of human life. There was no book, game, or even a pillow out of place. It was also freezing cold, courtesy of the open window. Specks of ice drifted in on gentle air.

"…Where are you calling from?"

"Aster's farm. Jackson and I are going with him to give out deliveries."

Miranda approached the window, but paused with her hands at the latch when she went to close it. She followed the rope of blankets from the bedpost to the snowy yard below. "Jackson? But…I told you to tell me when you were hanging out with him!"

"That's why I'm calling!"

"But I meant for you to tell me _before_ —"

"Aster says it's time to go. I'll call you later."

The call dropped a moment later. Miranda took a deep breath and turned for her room. She was going to need her coat.

* * *

"Easy."

"I've got it."

"Do you?"

"You saw my license, didn't you?"

Jamie felt very awkward wedged between Aster and Jackson at the moment. Aster's robin egg blue pickup truck only had three seats to ride in, a driver's and a passenger with a tiny space between. The bed was for the flowers and vegetables, with a wooden railing and green tarp covering them. Jackson was driving so Aster could decide if he was good for deliveries or not, and though he was otherwise fine, he sometimes veered too close to the curb or made too sharp of a turn.

"It's the house at the end, with the pinwheels."

"I see it. Who lives there?"

"The Punjam girls, B.T. and—"

"Tooth?"

"—Of course, you've met her."

The truck pulled to a stop in the turnabout of the cul-de-sac with a hiss. The house was classically appealing, with a crooked white picket fence, multicolored pinwheels in the grass of the yard, and several glass wind chimes on the porch.

Aster stepped out of the truck, pulling his jacket close, and called Jackson to the back. Jamie followed Jackson out of the seat and to the bed as Aster pulled out a potted lily of the sort. In the icy cold, Aster's heated greenhouse was the only haven for the flowers and vegetables at the farm. Without it, Aster would be out of business for the winter.

The three of them trotted up the brick steps to the white front door. Aster pressed the doorbell, and they heard it ring inside.

Twenty seconds passed, and Aster pressed the doorbell again. Thirty seconds passed. Not even an approaching footstep came to the door.

"Maybe they're not home...?" offered Jackson. He took a small twig from the potted dirt of the lily and flicked it away.

"It's a half hour before Tooth's shift...Tooth? It's Aster, I—"

When Aster went to knock at the door, it swung open.

Aster paused, expecting the teenager to appear and greet him, smiling brightly as she pushed a strand of brown or yellow hair behind her ear. He stepped forward, but stopped when he saw the lock. Broken.

He inched the door open more with a soft creak. "Tooth?"

But then he noticed the other things that were out of place for the house: the umbrella stand knocked on its side, the glass vase shattered into tiny pieces, the set of drawers pulled open with the items inside tossed about.

Aster looked at Jackson, who slowly set the lily down on the porch floor, before running inside with sudden speed. "TOOTH?!"

"Jackson?!" Jamie pulled on the teenager's jacket. His eyes were wide and scared.

"Stay here," Jackson said. He nodded to the boy before following Aster inside the house.

They ran out of the foyer, checking inside the kitchen and living room for any sign of the teenager or her sister. Even more signs of violence showed as they continued. Every drawer was either open or pulled out entirely, on the floor with contents strewn. Doors were open, a curtain was down, and a bookcase in the hallway was fallen against the opposite wall, books piled underneath. Jackson copied Aster when he ducked through the gap.

"Tooth?"

There was a sound of a door opening nearby. "Hello?"

Jackson and Aster quickly followed the voice to the laundry room, which was bizarrely just as ransacked. A stack of baskets was tipped over, clothes lay strewn about, and even the washing machine had the lint filter taken out. Tooth closed the door behind her, amethyst eyes wide.

"Hey." Aster huffed as he stepped over a pile of strewn clothes. He placed a hand on her forearm as he approached. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She did seem fine, with the exception of the multicolored hairs straying from her braids. "I-I was in the backyard. Someone tore down all the clothes on the line..."

"What happened?"

"I don't know, I got here and it was like this and I looked around but no one was here and now I'm just…I don't know!"

"What did they take?"

"Nothing! They didn't take _anything_! The safe, the jewelry, the TV, the computer, everything is here!"

Was it just an act of vandalism? Jackson wanted to think so, but the drawers and other items made him think that something was being looked for. He tiptoed over the clothes and asked, "Did you call the police?"

"No, not yet. I haven't been thinking straight."

"Jackson?"

He hated to admit it, but Jackson had forgotten about Jamie. Aster turned back to Tooth and softly said, "Go on and call the police." He turned to the other teenager and jerked his head to the door. "Jackson, go take care of Jamie."

Jackson maneuvered his way through the disheveled house until he was back on the porch with Jamie, who stared at him with wide eyes still. "What happened?"

"Someone broke in."

"Is Tooth okay?"

"She's fine. Hey, why don't you call your mom to pick you up? I don't want you sticking around here much longer"

"I don't think I'll need to..."

Jackson followed his gaze to the approaching blue minivan. Jackson groaned internally. It parked beside the truck, and Miranda Bennett exited, puffing steam through her nostrils (figuratively and literally) as she stared up at the two boys.

"Where's Aster?"

Jackson and Jamie both pointed to the front door of Tooth's house. Miranda stormed inside, paused at the mess, and called for Aster before disappearing. There was a quiet conversation in which Miranda asked, "Are you okay?" A moment later, she, Aster, and Tooth reappeared back outside. There was a bleat nearby, and a patrol was soon pulling into the cul-de-sac. Two lean officers exited and shut their doors behind them.

"Jamie, get in the van."

"But—"

"James Edward Bennett, get in the car!"

Jamie flinched and brushed past her to the minivan. Once inside, he waved to Jackson through the glass. Jackson waved back, but that only seemed to further annoy Miranda.

"I thought I told you to ask me before you hang out with my son."

"I thought that was why he called you. And we weren't alone, Aster was there."

"That's not the point. The point is that you didn't call me immediately!"

"I'm sorry."

Miranda took a deep breath, glanced back to the minivan, and said, "Maybe you should just stay away from my son for a while. Am I clear?"

"…Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"You got the job, alright?"

Aster slammed the car door behind him as he left. Jackson took a deep breath as he followed suit.

The policemen had questioned Tooth, instructed her to look into a home security system, and left with nothing else to do. Aster sadly told her that they had to leave, and Tooth said it was fine, but Jackson could tell she was worried. She had to leave the house in its mess to go to her job. She couldn't even lock the door behind her as she did so.

"I don't know what else you want me to do."

"Maybe do as you're told? It's a start."

"Alright. I doubt I'll run into this situation any time soon."

Aster stopped in his footsteps, and when he turned around, Jackson stiffened. But when Aster approached, his steps were casual and slow in the crunching snow. He stopped at the opposite end of the truck's hood. His eyes were a stark green in the white and gray.

"Miranda isn't being too overprotective."

"I didn't say—"

"I don't want you thinking it. I get it, you understand that you're in the wrong, and that's good for a bloke like you. But this has more to do with just being a stranger. It has to do with Jamie's…" Aster left the sentence hanging, as if he couldn't place the word.

"Complex? Ideas? Beliefs?"

Aster raised a hand and rolled it nonchalantly. "Let's say 'imagination'. She wants Jamie to have a normal life, but everywhere he goes, kids n' adults treat him like he has the plague. That's why she signed him up for therapy, even if it sounds festy. And Jack Frost, he's been waiting for 'im forever. They just can't set the restart button here. And I think it goes without saying that she hardly knows you."

"I'm going to stay away from Jamie."

"…Good. Now, you can use the truck however you like, I've got a spare." Aster turned back around, but paused to add, "And don't break it, or I'll 'ave your head!"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

"Calm, Bunny. You're tense."

Bunnymund cursed himself for thumping his foot anxiously. He took his back off of the pillar and did a few awkward hops to blow off steam, but it didn't work. He leaned against another one of the pillars and started thumping his foot again.

"Vhy are you so anxious?" North whistled, and a trio of elves stumbled forward with a plate of baked pastries above their heads. He picked up the plate just as one of them tripped and fell. "Cookies?"

"Nah. I'm good."

North shrugged and tossed the plate over the railing, and there was a small shatter far below seconds later. He turned his attention back to the Globe.

Bunnymund felt a tug on the fur of his leg, and looked down to the Guardian of Dreams. Sandy stared up at him with golden eyes, and a moment later, a question mark and an arrow appeared above his head, which he turned sideways. It was as if he was asking, 'What's up?'

"I'm just worried, mate."

Sandy paused, then replied with the figure of a winged person with drape-like extensions from their waist.

"Yes, it's about Tooth. She went to go…talk to someone."

A hand appeared next to the figure, with its forefinger and thumb connected into an _O_.

"I think she's okay. I hope so, anyway…"

Sandy rolled his eyes and gestured with his hand for him to stop being so vague on the details.

Bunnymund turned emerald eyes to the Cossack standing at the Globe. He shouted something at a yeti, who garbled in response before running off to comply. "Alright…You know that thing that happened to Tooth a long time ago?"

Above Sandy, a sphere appeared and burst.

"No, no...well, sort of, but before that. The other thing."

He signed with an image of a person struggling to walk. The image wavered as Sandy paused, and as his face lit up in panic—wide eyes a lift of a few inches from the floor—so did his images. Question marks, exclamation points, and danger signs mixed together in a blur of alarm. His small arms flailed as quickly as a Mini Fairies' wings.

Bunnymund shushed him, and then felt stupid for doing so because there was no need. North took no notice. "Yes, she went to go talk to…You-Know-Who."

Sandy's face registered a mix of anger and disbelief, with narrowed eyes and an open mouth. The winged figure reappeared, waved sweetly to Bunnymund, and flew away. Sandy was upset that he'd let Toothiana go.

"She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer! I'd go see if she's okay, but the tunnels won't go there."

Sandy looked around with a silent sigh. His eyes widened, and he pointed to the window looking out onto the Antarctic. Against the stark background of gray and white, a figure floated towards the workshop. It hovered down and out of sight.

A moment later, the person in question appeared over the railing.

"Ah, Tooth, velcome back." North didn't take his eyes from the controls of the Globe. Without another world to the girl, he whistled for assistance from the elves.

Bunnymund instantly knew something was wrong. Toothiana wasn't flittering or darting about, but her movements were slow and smooth, which was far too uncharacteristic for her. Her face registered indifference. Even her wings were no longer chirping.

"Are you okay?"

She responded five beats later. "I'll be in my room." She shakily nodded to the two Guardians before hovering away and out of sight.

Bunnymund glanced down at Sandy, who glared up at him icily.

"What?"

Sandy shook his head and floated away, never removing his eyes from the Pooka.

* * *

What was she going to do?

The house was a ransacked mess. She had to clean it up, put everything back in place, step-by-step, room-by-room. B.T. was still at the birthday party. Maybe she could ask Nicholas to watch over her until she was finished. And then she would have to do something about the door lock. Her shift ended at six. How was she going to manage?

Tooth ran her fingers as far as she could through her hair until it snagged in her braids. Oh, how she struggled to keep her and her sister alive and well. The state sent them funds every week, and though that and the money from her job had their essentials, including heating oil, balancing them left little room for luxuries. It was only three hours of television a week, no lights during the day, and internet and computer access was only accessible in the local library. Water was slightly easier, with washing day every Saturday. But the bills left them only fifty dollars for any other cost. She wanted B.T. to live like her friends, but she couldn't. Once clothing got too small, she had to trade or sell it. Birthday gifts were cheap and embarrassing. She couldn't talk about the latest TV shows and movies because she rarely saw them.

"Ana, the birds need to be fed. Get to it!"

She stood up from leaning against the wall, brushed over her T-shirt, and made her way to the ornithology building. Families awed at the birds behind the glass walls. She smiled as a little boy squealed at a parakeet, momentarily forgetting her problems.

She got a bucket of the insects from the storage closet and went to the hidden door of the hummingbird habitat (and by hidden, she meant it was the same color as the wall). She opened it with her key and stepped inside, instantly catching the attention of anyone watching. Some adults pointed at her as they cooed to the younger children, though that wasn't out of the norm for any zookeepers tending to the animals during working hours.

She heard a hum, and smiled at the green violetear hovering at her ear. The metallic feathers wavered between green and blue as it fluttered. As she poured the insects into the feeding bowl, its friends came swooping down from the canopy to eat. Ruby-throats, fiery-throats, and rufous-tails created a rainbow of feathers. The children squealed in delight.

When she exited the habitat, one of the children asked, "Do all hummingbirds eat bugs?"

Technically, she wasn't an educator for the zoo, but she was always free to answer. "Most of them do. Nectar and insects are their most primary sources of food."

"What else do they eat?" asked a mother as she bounced a rosy-cheeked baby on her hip.

"Our native birds love sugar water, but you probably knew that. They'll be fine with sap, if nectar isn't available. A few may even eat ashes or sand to get the minerals."

"Do hummingbirds actually eat pollen, or is that just a myth?"

She recognized the voice, and sure enough, there was that brunet teenager standing at the back of the small group. He gave her a small smile.

She gave the hint of a smile back, and answered, "Not directly, no. sometimes, when nectar is consumed, the pollen will stick to their beaks and they'll eat them as a minor source of protein."

Lilly, an actual educator, called attention to anyone interested in hearing about cockatiels. The group dispersed, but Jackson stepped forward and said, "Dentistry _and_ ornithology? You're taking very alternative routes, aren't you?"

" _That_ is what you pick up when you hear it over and over. Or, you know, you just read it on the internet. Just dentistry for me."

"Hm…Hey, you're okay, right? After what happened?"

"I'm fine. Just…" She brushed her yellow and brown bangs away from her face. "I have a lot to do tonight."

"Anyway I can help?"

"Can you buy and install a new security system?"

"Sure."

His nonchalant answer caught her off guard, and her smile dropped. "Seriously?"

"I mean, if putting buckets of water on door hinges counts as a security system."

She chuckled, and bent down to pick up the bucket.

"What's that?"

He pointed at the golden chain around her neck, its pendant glinting out of her collar at the hollow of her throat. She took it out, and held it out enough for him to see. It was a pyramid-shaped pendant, with shining red sides and a sharp tip.

"My parents gave it to me. Some sort of family heirloom, or something like that."

Jackson looked at the shining scarlet sides and gold lining, and said, "You don't think that that's what…?"

She caught on to the question quickly. He was asking if the pendant was what the vandals might have wanted. "It might have been, but it's nothing valuable. It's all glass and paint. So why are you here?"

"I'm just here to see if what I read on the internet was true. Why else would I be here?"

"Oh, I don't know, you could do what all the other teenage boys do. Shout at the animals, litter like it's no tomorrow, flirt with all the pretty girls…"

"Oh, so now we're flirting?"

She paused for a moment. Was he calling her pretty? She was about to reply when her supervising manager, Rodney, called out from the entrance of the building, "Trudy! Stop with the flirting and get to work!"

She flushed at the term 'flirting' again, but picked up her bucket and feebly waved goodbye to Jackson. Jackson awkwardly waved back, but he doubted that she noticed.

* * *

Well, no more Jackson.

Jamie was grounded for a week, possibly longer if his mother saw fit. He didn't even try to talk himself out of it, he knew he was going to be punished. He wasn't going to try and twist her words with things like "But you didn't _say…_ " or "But I thought that that was only if…" He was in the wrong, he knew it.

That didn't mean he wasn't upset. He was, of course, as all kids were when they were punished, whether the punishments were right or wrong. He wasn't just allowed not to see Jackson, he wasn't allowed to hang out with any of his friends. Even Aster was off-limits. If he needed to be babysat, he'd have to stay with Mr. Yaga, the kind of creepy old woman a few doors down who smelled like raw chicken and cinnamon.

Miranda had taken away his video game privileges as well, which wasn't as much of a blow. He only spent about thirty minutes playing video games a night, spending the other time reading or doing homework. For now, he was coloring a new picture for his wall. It was an enlarged image of a Mini Fairy, holding a coin in one of its tiny hands. Though it was usually accompanied in a tone of confusion, he was told that he was good at drawing them. He carefully glided his hand out for its thin beak and went to adding more green and blue to its body.

When he was done, he stood up from his bed and went to his desk to find a pushpin. The desk was just underneath one of his windows, and he turned on the lamp atop it before pulling open and rummaging through one of the smaller drawers for a pushpin. He eventually found one and turned the lamp off.

But when the lamp turned off, the light it was emitting no longer reflected on the window, which overlooked the oak tree in the yard. The oak tree that someone was standing under.

He felt a sickening punch in his throat, the feeling you get when you see something scary but don't realize it at first. He wanted to say it was nothing, just a shadow, but he knew it was a person. He could see the head, shoulders, and torso…

"Jamie?"

Jamie jumped and turned around when Miranda called for him. "Dinner's ready, come and get it."

Jamie looked back down to the oak tree, but the figure was gone.

"Coming…"

* * *

When Tooth returned home, she was surprised to find a red Ford Bronco II and a brown Chevrolet Celta pulled in front of her house.

She shut the door of her maroon Trax and walked up to her house. The lights were on, and shadows were moving. But she doubted it was the vandals again, being so blatantly obvious. She opened the door slowly and looked around the foyer. The umbrella stand was right side up, the smashed vase fragments were cleared, the chest of drawers was shut and even dusted off.

"Hello?"

"Tooth! You are home!"

Tooth could recognize the accent anywhere. She walked to the living room, where Nicholas was walking around, finding strewn items to put in the drawer in his massive hands. Sanderson was behind him, reattaching a lamp shade to its base. The rug was placed in the center of the floor again, the pillows were on the sofas, and the curtains were pulled close on the windows.

"Сюрприз!" Nicholas laughed as he waved around the place. Sanderson looked up and waved at her, pausing to pick up an elephant figurine laying near-hidden under the sofa. "Ve heard vhat happened and decided to help."

"Oh! Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"It vas no big deal, just some nip-tuck." Though judging by the now-standing bookcase, Tooth ruled otherwise. "Ve vouldn't want you and B.T. staying here like this, now vould ve?"

"Really, thank you. Here, let me get my wallet—"

"Absolutely not! A Samaritan does not ask for rewards." Nicholas put the drawer back into its chest and closed it shut. "Ve had the lock fixed, too. Very easy. I think ve have everything covered."

Tooth sighed with a smile. Nicholas always did things like this. Every now and then, he'd make B.T. a new wooden figurine for her collection, or give Tooth a new decoration for the house. This past Christmas, he'd showed up with a _tree_ for them. Given, the thing left needles everywhere, and he'd had to trim and cut it several times just for it to fit under the roof, leaving it awkwardly lacking a section, but it was a kind thing to do, especially since they didn't have one.

"Is there anything I could to repay you guys?"

Sanderson signed for her to remain safe and call them if she ever needed help again, and gave her a comforting handshake as he left. Nicholas agreed, gave her a hug that nearly crushed her like a nut, and followed suit. She waved them both goodbyes as they pulled out and away.

B.T.'s party was going later than expected, but that was fine. Walking around the house, Tooth took note of just how much Nicholas and Sanderson had cleaned up. They'd even gone as far as to make the beds and fold the laundry. She was going to repay them somehow, whether they liked it or not.

Eventually, she changed into her green flannel pajamas and pink slippers. She wiped the makeup off her face, and as she was walking out of the bathroom, she pulled the ties of her braids out and ran her hands through them until all of her hair was loose.

She had just tucked her hair behind her ear when she felt a sudden pain at the back of her head. She gasped out as her mind when foggy and her vision slowly swam to black. She hardly felt her knees hit the floor before she was unconscious.

The person behind her lowered the baton and stooped down to her, black coat touching the floor. They flicked away her multicolored hair and reached under her neck until their fingers enclosed around something hard and small. They pulled out the red pendant, and with a hard tug, snapped the chain around her neck. They pocketed the pendant in their pocket before exiting Tooth's home, cloth-covered shoes soundlessly stepping away.

Yes, Kozmotis Pitchiner knew everyone in Burgess, big or small.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**

**Merry Christmas!**


	8. Beating the Bushes P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an attack on Tooth in her own home, Nicholas seeks vengeance. Nearly two decades ago, North summoned the Guardians to the Pole for an emergency.

I do not own _Rise of the Guardians_ or _Once Upon a Time_. This plot was simply inspired by both.

 **FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Winter in Burgess was _so_ much more fun than spring.

In the springtime, Jack had to contain himself, if just slightly so. Even if Burgess was a ways above the equator, spring was spring. That meant small bouts of snow, no blizzards. He could only send about an inch or so of said snow, not drifts of it. He wasn't allowed to do any more ice-made sleigh ramps, either, just slush. And Bunnymund would kill him if he did a repeat of '68.

But winter, that was when he was got to have _fun._

Jack watched with a smirk as Jamie and his friends went to and fro, gathering as much of the snow in their hands as they could. There was plenty of it, a good half-foot, and drifts it were piled in white mountains all around. They packed the snow together in a giant mount, smoothing their mittens and gloves over the bumps. Jamie poked his head out from inside the makeshift igloo, telling something to Claude, who nodded and went to gather more snow. Sophie, now bordering on the age of four, was gathering frosted leaves with Pippa and sticking them to the tops of sticks for flags. Monty and Caleb were adding more snow to the base. Even Cupcake was using a shovel to dump more snow onto the igloo for the others.

Jamie eventually caught sight of him, and smiled broadly. He went to tell the others, but catching Jack frantically waving to him, stopped. Jack put a finger to his lips. Jamie responded with a nod and a sheepish grin.

Jack stepped down the telephone wire, forming icicles. Burgess was his unofficial home of sorts. He needn't sleep, had no belongings, and really just worked when he felt like it, so he didn't need a place to stay. But Burgess was the place he visited most. In the year following the Battle of Burgess, things had been sound for the Guardians. But that didn't mean that they didn't see each other. They'd have Christmas and Easter after-parties, birthdays (or whatever they thought were their birthdays). Jack would visit the North Pole and the Warren to help out sometimes. Often, he'd run into Sandy conjuring dreams for the children or Toothiana and her Mini Fairies.

He looked up to the sky above and gave his staff a twirl. Specks of snow drifted down at once from the blue haze. In the haze, Jack caught a glimmer of green. He paused, confused, then watched as waves of blue and pink joined, creating ripples of color. It seemed that only he could see it, as none of the children or adults in the streets marveled at the sight of northern lights in Pennsylvania.

Now, what did green, blue, and pink mean? Was that "Come immediately" or "Come whenever"? Or was he getting that purple and blue?

Either way, he gave Jamie and his friends one last look before crying out, "Wind!"

At once, the air bristled.

"Take me to the North Pole!"

He was lifted off his feet and carried away like a leaf, soaring well above the clouds and disappearing into the sky.

…

Sandy could control the dreams himself, but he liked to see what they did on their own. He could make a child dream of flying, or being invisible, or having the one thing they'd always wanted. Other times, when the Dreamsand swirled above their heads, they formed according to their owners.

Sandy watched as the golden sand took form above the head of a small Russian boy. The sand took the form of the boy's figure, its arms waving as if hovering. Small fish and crabs passed by the figure. Sandy smiled warmly. So this boy dreamed of being underwater? He'd imagined so, judging by the many books on marine life within the room.

Sandy touched the figure, giving it an extra touch of realism, and the boy smiled contently. Sandy eventually stepped out of the boy's bedroom through the window. The Dreamsand swam from window to window, spiraling without shape. Sandy brushed a stream, and the golden sand pooled into the form of a humpback whale. It gave a soft song as Sandy sat upon his back.

The ripples of green, blue, and pink had appeared before he realized it. With a jump, he gave the whale a pat. It began to swim through the air, heading north.

…

Panama City, Sector 3, second bicuspid. It was already loose to begin with, all it took was a tug to pull it out. Hmm…excellent brushing. And, oh! She'd flossed!

Toothiana bit down a small squeal as she tucked the tooth into the small blue pouch at her hip. Gathering teeth with the others just before the Battle of Burgess had made her realize just how much she'd missed her job. She actually had a reason to stop, sure, but…She loved seeing the children.

Toothiana reached into her crest of feathers and took out a small golden coin, gently slipping it under the boy's pillow. By morning, it will have become a dollar. That's how the coins worked. They took the form of whatever currency the child used.

She looked back to the girl and giggled. A piece of her wild red hair was over her nose, going up and down with every breath. Toothiana gently brushed the hair away and pulled up the girl's covers more. The girl sighed in her slumber and turned to her side.

At the window, Baby Tooth—now Toothiana's personal second-in-command—chirped for her to hurry on with three other Mini Fairies. Toothiana quickly darted out through the window, phasing through the glass in wisps of blue. It was a trick that North had taught her. Apparently, since not every house had a chimney, North had to get creative.

Toothiana could tell that there was another tooth nearby. Sector 4, central and lateral incisors. Lost in a bicycle accident. Ouch! Toothiana gestured for her Mini Fairies to follow, but paused at the sky. Ripples of color were spreading across the star-speckled sky, emitting from the north.

Toothiana turned to Baby Tooth, instructing her to return home and take charge of the others. She handed her silken blue pouch of teeth to the three others, as it took all of them just to carry it. As Baby Tooth and the trio sped to the south, Toothiana darted for the north.

…

Meanwhile, under the depths of Australia, Bunnymund was having trouble in his own game. One of his eggs had wandered off from the herd. Honestly, for every batch of eggs that were materialized, one always got lost.

He lifted up a leaf and sighed in relief at trembling blue egg, as if terrified at the very idea of being lost. He reached a paw out to it, and it fell into it, its tiny legs kicking slightly.

"Alright, alright, stop that now." Bunnymund held the egg close to his chest as he turned from the burrow in the direction of the dye streams. "Let's get you back to your rellies."

He gently placed the egg into the sparkling purple dye, where it floated in line with its kin. Eventually, they stepped out of the stream, shaked off the spare droplets, and headed for the decorating vines.

One of the Sentinels—the eight-foot-tall, mossy statues that guarded the Warren—approached him, grinding its stone in speech.

Bunnymund's ears perked up immediately. "The lights?"

The Sentinel grinded in affirmation. Bunnymund took off for the tunnels, his footsteps echoing off the walls. Boy, what did North have in store now?

…

Other than seeing his friends again, North's favorite part of calling the Guardians to the North Pole was watching how fast they would get there.

Only a few mere minutes after the curtains of light cascaded through the sky, wavering in shades of blue and green and pink, Jack Frost was stepping off of the elevator. Though there was no wind for him to glide on inside the workshop, he'd used the Wind to get to the North Pole. upon exiting the elevator, he brushed off the snow that had gathered on his hoodie and pants.

"I assume you had rough trip?" asked North.

Jack shrugged and smirked. "Beats getting thrown into a sack and tossed through a magic portal."

Sandy was the next to arrive, floating up and over the railing with a smile and a wave…and atop of a golden whale that disappeared in wisps of Dreamsand.

"Hey, Sandy," Jack greeted when the small man hovered down to the floor. Sandy gave him a wave and made a gesture to which Jack replied, "Yeah, I'm good."

Toothiana arrived thirdly. She must have dismissed herself from her duties, because she was lacking her now-normal pouch of teeth. She gave her usual bright smile and went to each Guardian. She gave North a quick hug around the neck, hovered down and gave Sandy one around the torso, and pulled Jack in for a less awkwardly-positioned one. Jack used to tease her about hugging him all the time, but whenever she did not, he feigned hurt.

Bunnymund appeared last. Without any form of flight ( _preferred_ form of flight, anyway), he was reduced to bounding through his tunnels. It took him the longest to arrive, as he had to burrow through much of the mantle to arrive. He bounded to them, thumping his feet on the carpet. "Gotta get me some shoes…" He sighed in thanks when Sandy handed him a mug of hot eggnog. He then nearly spilt it everywhere when Toothiana caught him off-guard with a surprise hug.

Toothiana backed away from the Guardian of Hope and smoothed down her azure feathers. She turned to North with a neutral frown. "North, what's wrong?"

"It is good to see you all," North said. He waved them forward, and they followed him as he walked in the direction of the next elevator. They all stepped inside, Toothiana and Sandy dropping to their feet. "I am unavare if there is an emergency, but something…odd has happened."

The Guardians exchanged glances. For them, "odd" wasn't always a good thing. "What kind of 'odd' are we talkin' about here?" questioned Bunnymund.

North, in answer, pointed upward as the elevator moved. It clacked along the rope, airplanes and toys whizzing by. When it finally came to a stop, the door was swung open and they all exited, following him in the direction of the Globe-viewing platform. When they saw what he was talking about, they came to a stop.

The Moon's light was shining in a straight beam to the circle carved into the floor, the silvery _G_ at its epicenter. A circle of silver glow illuminated the small area.

Jack glanced around at the others, who remained silent. After a year of being a Guardian, he still wasn't used to the "protocols" that came with the position. Slowly, he asked, "And this means…?"

"Man in Moon does this vhen he is trying to tell us something," North replied. The Guardians circled around the beam of light, shuffling side-to-side. "But I've vaited hours, and he's said nothing. I thought maybe bringing you all here vould help."

Jack turned to Bunnymund with a raised eyebrow. "How often does he talk to you guys?"

" _Us,"_ Bunnymund corrected him with a smirk. Protocols aside, Jack was even struggling with accepting that he was one of them. "And not often, really. Just every decade or so." He turned up to the Moon, and in a raised voice, spoke. "What do you say, mate? Something up?"

The moonbeam wavered just so, as if in confirmation. Silvery shadows began to dance across the surface of the circle in the floor, and Toothiana gently pulled Jack back from the rim.

The shadows formed around the _G_ in the floor. He must have been referring to them.

When the next image depicted odd shapes in spherical positions, the Guardians took a moment to realize that it was the Earth, still silhouetted around the _G_. The image stayed still for a long time, and slowly, the shape of the sphere began filling in like water in a bowl. When the image of the Earth continued to fill with shadow, nearing to a near full circle, the Guardians glanced at one another confusedly. Then, it finally took the form of a full circle around the _G._

And a moment later, it exploded.

Toothiana gasped in surprise as the image of the Earth dispersed. Sandy jumped back into a hover, and Bunnymund's ears went straight. North removed his thumb from his chin as it dropped slowly. Jack looked around, alarmed.

But just a moment later, the moonbeam vanished.

It took a moment for this to sink in. Something was happening to the entire _world_? Something that would affect the _Guardians_? Not only affect, it would _destroy_ them?

They all turned wide eyes to North, who raised his hands slowly. "Okay…Nobody panic."

They panicked.

"What was _that_ about?!" cried Bunnymund.

"What do we do?!" exclaimed Toothiana. "Is the world just going—going to _explode_?!"

"Are _we_ going to explode?!" yelled Jack.

"Everybody _calm down_!" The Guardians slowly settled back at his words. Even Sandy ceased the flickering images above his head. "I don't know what this means any more than you do. But obviously, something is going to affect the world. _Our_ world."

"What about the children?" asked Tooth. Her feathers stood on end and her wings' speed increased tenfold. "What's going to happen to them?"

"Is there any way we can figure out what this means?" Jack asked. "'Cause right now, it seems like we're all pretty clueless."

"None of us can know vhat this means," said North.

"Then what—?" Bunnymund started.

" _But,"_ interjected North. His face broke into a wide smile that made his cheeks go rosy. "Ve know someone who can."

* * *

Nicholas woke up every morning at six o'clock sharp.

For breakfast, he had six strips of bacon, two slices of toast, and three pancakes, with a mug of coffee. After pulling on his red coat, he exited his house and took the seven or so steps to the Santoff Claussen, his boots crunching in the snow. When he entered the workshop, he turned on the lights, tended to the air conditioning and furnace, and unlocked the doors. Thirty minutes later, Phil—his truly only worker who had five brothers who all worked around town—would enter the shop, brush the snow from his massive brown beard, and dismiss himself to the basement. It was Phil's job to test out each and every toy, assemble them together, package them, and mark down their prices.

He was in the middle of carving out the beginnings of a rocking horse when his phone rang. It rang once, then twice, and then three times, and he finally noticed it on the fourth ring. He hit the answer button, already set to open volume.

" _Excuse me, is this—"_

The feminine voice cut short, noticing the roaring sound on the other end. A moment later, it continued, _"Um…hello?"_

"HELLO?!"

" _Oh dear…IS THIS NICHOLAS ST. NORTH?!_ "

"IT IS I."

" _I'M CALLING YOU ABOUT—"_

"JUST A SECOND."

Nicholas brought the engine of the chainsaw to a stop. The voice on the phone sighed in relief. _"Thank goodness…I've called to you about—"_

"PHIL!" Nicholas called out the door. A moment later, Phil appeared in the doorway, looking somewhere between annoyed and curious, his gloves and overalls smeared in oil and paint. "Have you assembled the boxes of the jetplane models yet?"

"Я почти закончил." Phil didn't speak very good English, so it was fortunate that he worked for Nicholas, who was fluent in both English and Russian. "Печь с ума."

"Just get it done soon. And could you restock on the coal while you're at it?" Nicholas was met with a garbled cry before he returned to the phone. He reached for his hammer and picking nail. "I apologize, very busy. Vhat can I help you vith?"

When the voice spoke again, he froze.

" _Vhat?"_

* * *

It took him around ten minutes to arrive at the Burgess Hospital. It should have taken him fifteen, but he drove like a madman and painted half of the asphalt black with rubber.

He exited his car, nearly breaking the door when he slammed it shut, and ran inside the double doors of the building. Being a relatively in a small town with few staying visitors, Burgess Hospital was a relatively small building. The waiting room was empty, but the receptionist was there, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw North. What was her name? Ruby? Esmeralda? Some sort of jewel-themed name.

He practically threw himself against her desk, huffing out his next few words. "Ana Punjam! What room is she in?"

She typed into the computer before her and replied a moment later. "Room 218."

Nicholas took off for the elevator.

"The elevator is broken!"

Without stopping, Nicholas swerved away from the elevator and to the stairs with a frustrated growl.

He skipped three steps at a time and ran down the hall to find the room number, nearly knocking a nurse to the floor. He nearly missed the room because he was running so fast. He threw the door open.

Much like the other rooms, it consisted of one bathroom, a white bed with blue sheets, one gray sofa and two green chairs. An inactive television was in one of the ceiling corners, and unused IVs and monitors were on either side of the bed.

The couch held a small child, a cotton blanket enclosed around her small body as she snoozed softly. Inky black hair, streaked with blue, was splayed upon the cushions. One chair had a man in it, his temple against his hand as his chest heaved up and down. The bed had a teenager beneath the blankets, her back against the incline of the mattress. She wasn't asleep and easily opened her amethyst eyes when Nicholas entered. The sight of her was too foreign for comfort. Gone were the braids and the bright clothes, replaced with loose hair and a boring blue T-shirt. For some reason, the bracelet at her wrist made the scene more uncomfortable.

Nicholas set his bag down with a sigh of relief and approached the teenager. As her younger sister stirred 0n the couch and the man sat up with a yawn, she leaned forward, her colorful brown hair falling over her shoulders in messy waves. She gave Nicholas a tired smile—momentarily repairing her image—as he pulled her in for a hug. He delicately placed his arms around her body as if he was afraid of breaking her.

"Hey, Nicholas." Her voice was low with exhaustion. Her small arms went around his neck with carefulness as not to entangle in his beard.

"Vhy didn't you call me sooner?" Nicholas pulled up the other chair and sat down right beside her. He put one of his hands over hers, easily covering it completely.

"I only just called Aster a while ago," she replied. "I was out cold all night and B.T. didn't know any phone numbers to call."

Nicholas turned to face Tooth's younger sister, Brooke Taylor, or B.T. for short. B.T. was adopted, and one could tell by comparing her to her sister. Tooth's skin was more olive; B.T.'s was more of a rustic brown and she had a beauty mark on her right cheek. Tooth's hair was chocolate brown, B.T.'s was inky black. But they also shared the same attributes, albeit differently. For example, they both dressed in bright colors. Their eyes, though very different, were both unusual. B.T.'s eyes were both brown, but one was much lighter than the other. B.T. had even dyed her bangs a bright teal. Some referred to B.T. as Baby Tooth because of just how far she tried to be like her older sister.

B.T. kicked away the blanket at her feet and stood up from the couch tiredly. Her denim jeans and yellow sweater were wrinkled. She smiled at Nicholas and threw her tiny arms around him.

"Hello, B.T."

B.T. responded with a smile. She preferred to show her words instead of speak them. She frowned and went to the other side of the bed, crawling onto the mattress to her sister. She rested against Tooth, who murmured words of comfort, and burrowed her head into the crook of her neck.

"Vhat happened?" demanded Nicholas.

Aster stood straight. A cold shine of tranquil fury shone in his emerald eyes. "It was those bloody idiots that broke into her house earlier. They attacked her."

Nicholas immediately turned back to Tooth, as if expecting to see her suddenly covered in cuts and bruises, her T-shirt soaked red. "Vhat did they do to you?!"

"I just remember feeling something hit my head," replied Tooth. "I didn't see anyone or anything. I just blacked out."

B.T. burrowed into Tooth's neck more, leaving the girl feeling guilty. She must have had her sister worried sick. She had been dropped off at her home (the driver had assumed Tooth was home because of the lights) and walked in on the lovely sight of Tooth sprawled on the floor, unconscious. B.T. dialed the only number she knew, 911, and the police and an ambulance arrived and took Tooth and B.T. to the Burgess Hospital. As B.T. slept uneasily, Tooth was observed for any skull damage or concussions. Hours later, when Tooth was awake, she called Aster, North, and then Sandy. But all those hours, all alone, waiting for Tooth to wake up…

"Did they steal anything this time?" asked Nicholas.

Tooth's face was crestfallen. She raised her fingers to her neck, but only grasped air. "They took the pendant."

Nicholas felt his gut twinge in sympathy. He'd never known Tooth's parents. He only knew Anana and Brooke Taylor Punjam, the orphaned girls that everyone in town took pity on. But he knew how Tooth kept that pendant around her neck like a drowning man held onto a life preserver. Sometimes, he'd catch her holding it in her palm with a thoughtful look on her face. And the pendant was just paint and glass. Whoever stole it was either desperate or foolish. Likely both.

"The bloke was gone by the time B.T. got there," Aster nearly spat the words out. "They didn't find anything _again_."

A moment later, the door opened again. Sanderson shuffled into the room, looking around at the others as he pulled his yellow coat around him. He went to Tooth's side, taking her hand momentarily before signing to her frantically.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," said Tooth. "It was just a blow to the head. I can leave once the police say we can go home."

Sandy nodded, and then turned to Nicholas and Aster with quite an unhappy look. He pointed to both of them and then the ground, easily translating to, _Explain. NOW._

"The robber came back," answered North. "He knocked Tooth out and stole her pendant."

Sandy ran his hands through his golden hair. He signed to Tooth once again, gesturing to B.T. in the process.

Tooth pulled her head away from her sister, who looked up at her curiously. "Do you want to go with Mr. Mansnoozie to get breakfast?"

B.T. nodded, gave her sister a small hug, and shuffled off the bed. Pausing to pull on her blue sneakers, she stepped out of the room. Sanderson nodded to Tooth and followed after closing the door shut behind them.

Nicholas sighed and stood up, heading for his bag. However, he stopped halfway and tossed his hands into the air. He turned to the remaining people in the room. "Ve have to do something!"

"What do you propose we do, Nicholas?" Aster asked with a lace of iciness. He made gestures with his hands as he spoke. "Hunt down whoever did this and pound them?"

"That is exactly vhat I plan to do!" Nicholas lifted up his bag, still steaming through every orifice. "I vill not just sit back vhile a girl and her sister can't even go to their own home vithout being in danger. And whoever did this, I vill _not_ allow him to valk free like an innocent!"

Tooth sat up from the mattress, wincing at the throbbing dizziness that resulted from it. Ignoring Aster's attempt to lay her back down, she said, carefully, "Nicholas, please don't do anything foolish."

North cracked his knuckles menacingly. " _They_ vill be feeling foolish as I вырвать их горло!"

A moment later, he pulled out a small container from his bag. "Now, sit back. I made soup."

* * *

Jackson's phone rang out. Placing his English copy of _The Origin of Curiosity_ upon his lap, he pulled it out from his pocket and read the number. It was a combination that he did not recognize. He hit the green answer button and held it to his ear. "Jackson Overland."

" _Jackson!"_

He couldn't mistake that Russian accent. He frowned. "Nicholas? What is it?"

" _Something has happened. A friend of mine, Tooth, vas attacked at her home last night."_

It took a moment for Jackson to digest that. When he did, he bookmarked his page with a slip of paper and sat up. "Is she okay?"

" _She's fine. She's at the Hospital right now. But they stole her necklace."_

Jackson paused. So it _had_ been the necklace that the robbers had wanted. He now felt somewhat…he didn't know, _guilty,_ for mentioning it to Tooth, like it was some sort of sick foreshadowing.

And why would they steal the pendant? Tooth had said herself that it was simply painted glass. Maybe the robbers didn't know that…But when they ransacked her home, why were they _just_ looking for her pendant? Why didn't they steal her other jewelry, her television, or her other valuables while they were at it?

" _Jackson?"_

"Oh, sorry, I'm here. Um…this is bad, and I feel sorry for Tooth right now, but…why are you calling me? I don't know Tooth very well."

" _Oh, so you have met! I need your help with something. Do you think you could meet me at The Clover in thirty minutes?"_

"What do you need help with?"

" _I'll explain there. Don't be late!"_

Jackson sighed when the phone hung up. He stood from the couch, headed for the closet to get his coat.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

North sometimes had trouble balancing between a family and a team.

The Guardians were his family, and at the time, the only one he had. He loved them dearly, even Bunny, though he wouldn't say it. He had to be there for them in all of their hardships, lest it be by physical injury or the wounds left by the past. He would sometimes look back on their times together and realize that he would never _not_ be in debt for whatever they'd done for him.

But at the same time, the Guardians were his team, and he their leader. Whether he liked it or not, he would sometimes have to send them off into danger to fulfill their duties. He didn't want them to get hurt, but he had to take those risks. He had to rely more on reason than emotion at times.

It was one of those times when he had to be their leader. In times like that, the others would display their emotions in different ways. Toothiana with her constant darting about and wide eyes, Bunnymund with his unfocused attention and social mood, Jack with his jumpiness and small snowstorms, and even Sandy with his lack of visual language. But he couldn't display his. He kept his back straight and sword at their sheaths, ready to do what had to be done.

He turned away from the Globe and faced the others. For a split moment, he saw those emotions displayed. Sandy was quietly hovering by the fireplace, but wasn't sleeping. Jack was pacing with his staff twirling in one hand. Toothiana had a hand on one of Bunnymund's furry shoulders, leaning down at him with a worried expression, and he mumbled some sort of confirmation. They anxiously turned at attention when he faced them.

"Ve must hurry," North stated. He straightened the hat upon his head, the black fur rough with wear. "Whoever is going vith me, go to sleigh!"

Sandy immediately began to drift in the direction of the elevator, but Bunnymund hesitated. The second he opened his mouth to speak, North interrupted him. "Yes, Bunny, you can use tunnels."

Bunnymund breathed a sigh of relief and bounded after the Guardian of Dreams. Toothiana nervously drifted to him with one hand on the other's thin wrist. She cleared her throat before slowly speaking. "I…think I'm going to stay behind, North. The Mini Fairies are nervous enough already and I'd feel better if I stayed with them."

"That's fine, Tooth."

Toothiana nodded, and wrapped her small arms around his neck in a hug. North patted her just below her wings, his single hand covering a good portion of feathers. "Tell him I said hello," she told him. She gave him a peck on the cheek before flying over the railing and out of sight.

North turned to the ice elf. "Jack, are you coming?"

Jack shook his head, downy silver hair waving as he did so. "I promised Jamie I'd take him skating on the pond tonight. I'm staying, too."

Jack tried to back away, but North was quick to pull him into an embrace and kiss both of his cheeks. Jack mumbled under his breath as he stepped away.

Entering the Launch Room, North stopped in his step to allow a yeti to pass by, furry paws full of tools. Bunnymund, not yet gone, gave him a nod before thumping his foot upon the ice of the cave. A tunnel conjured, and as he leaped inside, a wandering elf did, as well, just before it closed. It reopened a moment later, spat the elf out, and disappeared again.

North stepped onto the sleigh, taking the reins in his hands. The reindeer bristled, waving their muzzles as puffs of hot air exited their noses. When the yeti waved, he cracked the reins, and the reindeer took off. After the initial take off, the sleigh twisted, turned, and went upside down through the tunnel. When the exit finally came, the arctic wind hit them in bristles of ice. Sandy, rather than do as he usually did and cheer as the sleigh flew above the ice canyons, calmly kept his hands folded in his lap.

"Vhat do you say, Sandy?" North asked over the howling wind. "Do you think he'll be happy to see us?"

When he turned around, Sandy raised an eyebrow and smirked at him as if to say, _Of course._

North smiled at that, and frowned the next moment. Sandy stepped forward, placing his small hands on the 'dashboard'. "Vhat do you think Man in Moon vill tell us?"

Sandy shrugged with a frown. A crescent moon appeared over his head. Only the Man in the Moon knew what to say.

"I thought you'd say that." North reached into one of his sack-like pockets and withdrew one of his Portal Globes. He waved it in his hand, and the miniscule specks of snow began to spin around. He brought it close to his lips and whispered the destination.

"I say…Big Root."

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	9. Beating the Bushes P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicholas and Jackson meet at The Clover for "serious business." Prior to The Fall, North, Bunnymund, and Sandy set out to deal with "serious business" of their own.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

 _This contains reference to William Joyce's_ Guardians of Childhood _series. THE SERIES AND THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED FROM IT BELONG TO HIM, NOT ME!_

* * *

Well, Jackson arrived at _The Clover_ as he promised.

Later, he wished that he _didn't._

But he _did._

About ten minutes or so after Jackson parked his (or Aster's?) blue pickup in front of The Clover, Nicholas pulled up in his red Ford Bronco II. He was driving so haphazardly that he practically rammed into the sidewalk with a screech of rubber on asphalt. Nicholas was already six-plus-feet tall, but when he stepped out, he seemed to tower over Burgess itself. Maybe it was the red, bear-fur lined coat. Or maybe it was the boots the size of garbage cans on his feet. Though it was most likely the scowl on his face that could make a grown man flee for his mother.

Nicholas slammed the car door—Jackson swore he heard glass splinter—and turned to Jackson slowly. The steam exiting his nostrils in the freezing air made it seem that Nicholas was breathing out smoke. Nicholas's scowl remained, but the fury behind it regressed at the sight of the teenager. "I'm very happy you decided to show."

Jackson cleared his throat and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his coat. He continued to forget to seek out a new one. "I…It sounded serious."

Nicholas nodded only once, very slowly, in the direction of the glass entrance door. "This is _very_ serious."

As Nicholas stepped forward to the door, Jackson paused to glance unsurely back at the pickup truck. Maybe if he—oh, to heck with it. He rolled his eyes, took a deep breath of the cold air, and followed Nicholas inside.

The breakfast-between-lunch hour of The Clover was adequately busy for a small restaurant. Most of the tables and seats at the bar seemed to be occupied by business men, lifting up cups of coffee or bottles of whatever alcoholic beverages to their mouth as they laughed and discussed. Others were occupied by a few singles, pairs, and trios, but not many. The orchestra of clinking glasses and silverware on dishes was resigned this morning, and the pungent aroma of grease was somewhat lightened with the smells of syrup, butter, and pepper. Finn MacCoul, the long-haired blond waiter, was pouring steaming coffee into the cup of one of the workers. Well, he was actually just pouring a puddle _next_ to the cup, as he was far too distracted by the doe-eyed waitress Saba to pay mind to it.

No one seemed to take mind of Nicholas's presence apart from a few momentary glances when the door opened. Nicholas was quick to change that. He closed the door behind Jackson, the bell ringing when it was hit, and clapped his hands together. The sound was near-echoing from the size of his palms. "Внимание!"

The chatter slowly died down as attention was given to them. Jackson awkwardly sidestepped in a failed attempt to get out of the line of attention. Nicholas made sure that the last man at the bar was turned before he began to speak.

"I am sorry to announce that somevon here in Burgess has been attacked in their very home last night."

A few bemused glances were passed through the customers. A whisper or two was exchanged in quiet breaths.

"And not only vas somevon attacked in their very home, said somevon vas a teenager who vas left unattended for Rimsky-Korsakov _knows_ how long until her younger sister found her."

More whispers and glances were exchanged with a slight increase in concern. Scanning the restaurant with his eyes, Jackson felt his stomach twist when he sees a table towards the back. A tall brunette woman, her short brunet son, and her tiny blonde daughter were seated together. Miranda Bennett was staring at Nicholas with a mix of confusion and concern through her glasses. Sophie was stabbing a pancake with a fork repeatedly, her face sticky with syrup and butter. Jamie was glancing as Jackson with wide eyes, to which Jackson could only shrug sheepishly.

"And vouldn't you know it, Ana Punjam's attacker vas not found."

Jamie's jaw dropped and he looked at Jackson in horror. Miranda herself seemed shocked and pressed her fingers to her open mouth. A few murmurs passed through the air, some in shock ("Tooth? She's only seventeen!"), others in confusion ("Ana? Isn't she that dentist girl?")

"And since there is no vay to find out who did it…"

Nicholas raised his hands to his chest and cracked his knuckles, the sound like snapping twigs.

"…I am taking matters into my own hands."

Jackson immediately turned for the door, and had just put his palm on the handle when he caught by Nicholas at the last second. Jackson bit back a groan as the much taller man pulled the teenage boy beside him. Nicholas placed one hand on Jackson's shoulder and the other he used to gesture in the air.

"Jackson and I are going to find out who did this. And I don't care how long it takes us, even if ve have to tear this town apart _brick-by-brick!"_

Nicholas's voice rose in volume as he spoke, almost to a bearlike growl. It nearly bounced off the walls of the restaurant and a fearful chill swept over the customers. Finn slowly stepped backwards through the kitchen door.

" _And vhen I find out WHO DID THIS…"_

The customers collectively suck in breaths.

Nicholas's voice dropped to a calm pitch. "I vill immediately turn them into the authorities."

The customers sighed in relief. A few nervous chuckles went around, and Miranda placed one hand on her chest and the other on her forehead. Jamie continued to stare at Jackson in shock. He seemed ready to bull past his mother to run to Jackson and Nicholas and ask what had happened to Tooth.

"BUT!" Nicholas's sudden shouting brought attention to him again. "If they resist arrest, I vill use force to bring them to justice." A cheerful smile broke out on Nicholas's features and he waved politely to the customers. "Okay, that vill be all! Enjoy your meals!"

The sounds of the restaurant slowly returned. Past conversations were reduced to murmurs of the news of the attacked teenager and the manhunt for her attacker. Finn poked his blonde head out of the door to check for danger before returning to passing out drinks again.

"Alright, Jackson, let's go."

Nicholas placed his hand on the door, but paused when the teenager made no move to follow. He turned back with his eyebrows pulled together.

"Vhat?"

Jackson's glare was flat and unamused.

"…Okay, I'm sorry that I did not tell you about vhat ve vere doing."

"No, no, you didn't need to tell me about this before you announced it publically _at all_."

"You're the only von in this town that I feel I can trust for this job." Nicholas paused. "Vell…You and Aster, but he vas less than enthusiastic about this idea." Nicholas groaned and clasped his hands together. Jackson immediately turned away in disgust. A man like Nicholas should _not_ have been able to do puppy-dog eyes so well. "Please, Jackson, I need your help!"

Jackson would have replied, if not for familiar mother approaching them. Miranda didn't even seem angry as one would expect. If anything, by her half-lidded eyes and neutral frown, she just seemed _tired,_ as if she was thinking, _Come on, now, that's enough for one week._

Miranda stopped before the two men and opened her mouth to speak. Surprises of surprises, her eleven-year-old son beat her to it.

Jamie practically skidded to a stop and spoke in a rush of worry. "Is Tooth okay?!"

"Tooth is perfectly fine," replied Nicholas. His voice was easy and soft with the young Bennett boy, but he without talking down to him. "She'll be returning home soon, she's just tired."

Jamie could only look away from Nicholas with a shaky nod. Hearing that Tooth was attacked the previous night made him remember the figure he had seen outside his window. He'd gone to bed early out of boredom, but laid awake for hours, staring at the nightlight on his bed stand. Sometimes, he already felt as if something or someone in Burgess was watching him, the same thing or person that had chased him in the woods when he had first arrived. Ever since Jackson came into town, the feeling had increased tenfold….

"Jamie, go sit back down," Miranda told her son gently but sternly.

Jamie turned away and returned to their table. He sighed at the sight of the puddle of syrup on Sophie's pant leg and reached for the napkins.

Miranda turned back to Nicholas and Jackson. Her eyes lingered on each man in turn, giving them equal looks of disapproval with her hazel eyes. She took a deep breath, crossed her arms over her blue checkered shirt, and spoke slowly but surely. "Do you really think that going after a criminal—a _possibly armed_ criminal—is the best idea?"

"I never said it was a _good_ idea."

"…"

"…"

"…But?"

"…But what? I just never said it was a good idea." Nicholas grinned at Miranda and gave her a delicate pat on her shoulder, which was received with an uncomfortable look. "Ve have this all under control, trust me. Ve vill tread carefully, do it all in public so they don't pull something on us, the whole sheboom."

Jackson leaned forward from behind Nicholas's massive shoulder to say, "It's 'shebang.'"

"It's same difference. You have nothing to vorry about, Miranda. Vonce we find out who did this, ve vill turn them into the authorities and let that be that."

"The authorities should be the ones handling this," replied Miranda. She uncrossed her arms to make gestures with her hands. Her hazel eyes went wide with disbelief. "What if you get charged with interfering with a police investigation? And where are you planning to begin, for that matter?"

"There is no start like one from scratch. And sooner is better!"

Nicholas turned for the door and pulled Jackson by his coat collar behind him. Seemingly unaware that he was choking the boy to a near-cobalt hue, he gave Miranda one last grin before pushing the door open, causing the bell to ring, and stepping outside into the frigid air. A few specks of ice blew inside and melted on the tiles. "До Свидания!

As Miranda watched him leave, she tossed her hands into the air and said, to no one in particular, "Why do I even bother?"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Big Root was just as North remembered it to be, if not all the more spectacular.

The height of the tree was equal to that of a ten-story building. The trunk was half as wide as the tree was tall, hollowed inside but it would take a thousand manticores to even scratch the bark now. The leaves ranged in colors of gold, copper, and rust, and could go from the size of North's pinky to the length of his toe to his knee. The bark of the tree was perfectly carved to the last detail and shimmered like silver in the moonlight. Even the moss was set upon it crucially, and every knot in the wood was replaced with a window.

A wave of nostalgia crashed upon North as the sleigh pulled to a slow on the rock bed before the tree. He and Sandy climbed off onto the dewy grass. The reindeer galloped and huffed and tossed their heads, as if to welcome the place. In Santoff Claussen, the moon was as big as your hand and no place was unlit with the silvery moonlight.

When North and Sandy approached, the ground shook thunderously. The roots of the tree—the roots that gave the tree its name, with their sizes like boulders—tore up from the ground cleanly, leaving not a speck of dirt disheveled. One of them curled into the air and extended to the Guardian of Wonder, who chuckled warmly. He took the root's end in his hand and shook it politely. "It is good to see you, too, old friend."

The root extended to Sandy next, who paused to glance at North before taking the root in his small fingers and shaking it once. The root reached out to pat the small man on his round head. Sandy replied with a silent giggle and the root returned to its place once again.

The door pulled open before they were ten steps away.

In the door stood Ombric Shalazar, Foreteller of the Future, Portrayer of the Past, Prince of the Present, or as he is mostly known, Father Time. He still withheld the watery blue eyes filled with wisdom and judgment. Though he was not as tall as North, his silvery beard could certainly rival the Russian's. It extended all the way down to his knees, with a broad mustache and bushy eyebrows to accompany. His robes of cobalt velvet were lined with snow leopard fur and shimmered with every movement. In one hand he gripped a staff of birch with a crescent hook, the other he used to stroke his beard.

He stared up at North as he did all those years ago, with scrutinizing judgment. And just like all those years ago, North felt undermined in the man's presence.

Eventually, however, Ombric's hand dropped from his chin and he said, "As big as ever. Come inside." He turned inside the tree with a wave of his robes.

North seemed completely unfazed by the man's comment of his weight and instead smiled broadly at the Sandman. Sandy, in turn, just shrugged in his usual silence and followed North into the gargantuan tree. He jumped into a hover when the door lightly tapped his back as it closed.

It seemed that every aspect of Big Root was carved from the wood itself. The chairs, the tables, the drawers...Candles hovered in midair to assist the windows in lighting the environment. The canopy gave the room an almost stained-glass effect of moonlight. Crickets and moth wings created a soft symphony. Various objects were strewn about in a collective mess. North amusedly found that they were arranged around the room alphabetically, from apple peels to zebra hide.

Ombric gave a wave of his birch staff. Two mugs hovered up from a table and went to the Guardians. North took his casually, used to the sight that he'd seen a million times, but Sandy curiously looked inside his mug. Steaming eggnog filled the cup from thin air.

Ombric nodded to them. "Take a seat."

North and Sandy looked behind him. In the few seconds that had passed, chairs had risen from the wooden floor for them. They sat back, and when they redirected their attention back to the wizard, he had already sat down in a chair of his own. He took a long gulp from his own mug of eggnog before speaking. "I assume that you two are here to inquire about Tsar Lunar's cryptic message?"

Sandy and North exchanged a glance. A letter U and a number 2 appeared over Sandy's head alongside a question mark.

"Yes, Tsar contacted me to send the same message."

The two Guardians fell into a momentary silence. Did the Man in the Moon always give Ombric the messages that they received? And if so, that meant that this would concern Ombric as well. He hadn't received the message last year, the one that had instructed them of Pitch's return and the need for Jack Frost to join them. Then again, it wasn't like Ombric could have helped…

North took a gulp of his eggnog—extra nutmeg, just how he liked it—and asked, "Do you have any idea vhat it means?"

The door opened once again. Bunnymund hopped inside Big Root, trying to fend off a root that was insisting on rubbing behind his ears. Finally, he closed the door and waved a paw. "Hey, Ombric."

"Good evening, Aster." Ombric said without ever raising his eyes to the Guardian. He waved his crooked fingers, and a mug appeared next to Bunnymund.

He took the mug and waited until it filled with honey lemon tea. He took a (newly materialized) seat next to Sandy. "Sorry it took me so long. I ran into the Bear." Bunnymund's ears flattened as he added, _"Again."_

As if in reply, a growling roar erupted from outside Big Root, making the leaves tremble. None of the men so much as blinked.

Instead, Bunnymund turned his head over his shoulder to shout back, "IT'S ALRIGHT, MATE."

There was another roar, a more whine-like one. It almost sounded like "Okay."

North turned back to Ombric, but he was already replying. "To answer your inquiry, no, I haven't an idea what the message meant. I was preparing to speak to Tsar Lunar himself, but I supposed that you would arrive soon. I decided to clean up the place first."

"Then vhat are ve vaiting for?" North gave a hearty laugh and smashed his mug down on the wooden floor.

Ombric gave a scornful glare to him as he waved his hand. The shards of the mug reformed and repaired themselves back into original form.

North sheepishly averted his gaze from the wizard's. "Apology." He clapped his hands together as Sandy and Bunnymund rose to their feet from the chairs. "Ve have no time to lose! We need to decipher this now!"

* * *

Tooth lazily turned another page of _The Autumn Symphony_ with a sigh.

B.T. had gone home with Aster for the time being. Even if the police registered her home safe to enter any time soon, an hour ago she'd attempted to stand and walk and fell almost immediately when a wave of dizziness came down on her. The nurse stated that she likely needed more medicine and rest and would need more time in her room. B.T. insisted on staying with her until she recovered, but Tooth could tell that the poor girl was dying of boredom with the only solace being the television. Aster had been nice enough to take her back to the farm, where B.T. could spend the day running around in enough mud as she pleased.

As for her, all she could do was alternate between watching television, reading a book, and checking the internet on her phone. She managed to find two rubber bands and tied her hair into their regular braids. She looked terrible, and she knew it. She had bags under her eyes and her hair had the look of a tumbleweed. Nothing much could be done about either, however.

The door opened, and Tooth placed her thumb's fingernail over her spot before looking up. It was Diamond Lazuli, the occasional receptionist of the hospital and a classmate at the college. The thing about Diamond was that either you wanted _her_ or you wanted to _be_ her. If there were a car collision as big as Mount Everest in the streets, she would still turn heads. She was tall, slender, and perfectly curved, and always wore the correct clothes to show that off. Her platinum blonde hair fell almost to her hips in perfect waves, her skin was as flawless as marble, and her eyes were as rich green as emeralds and framed with thick eyelashes. Her naturally scarlet mouth could pull into a smile that would blow you off your feet. Her beauty was…almost _uncanny._ Like, there should be flaws, but there _weren't._

Diamond smiled at Tooth, flashing teeth so perfectly aligned and pearly that Tooth wanted to zip her lips shut in shame. "Hey! How's the book?"

"It's good," replied Tooth. "It's really sad, though."

Diamond rolled her eyes with a sigh. " _Tell_ me about it. I swear, you can hardly read my copy because my tears morphed the ink."

They both shared a chuckle. As jealous as Tooth and every other girl in Burgess was of Diamond, she had a good sense of humor.

Diamond nodded her head to the hall behind her with another delicate smirk on her lips. "You have a visitor. You interested?"

Tooth nodded as she placed her bookmark back between the pages of the novel. "Yeah, yeah, sure."

She placed the book on the nightstand as Diamond exited the room, leaving the door open. Tooth drummed her fingers on the sheets for a moment until the visitor arrived. It was the last person that she expected.

Miranda offered Tooth a small smile as she inched into the room and closed the door shut behind her. She had a red paper bag in one of her hands. She paused awkwardly in front of the door and tucked a strand of chocolate hair behind her ear. "Hello."

Tooth blinked once, and then twice. Finally, she stood up straight and cleared her throat. "Hello."

Miranda placed the bag down on the floor beside the bed. She reached for a chair and pulled it close, the legs screeching slightly on the tiles of the floor, and sat down delicately. She gave Tooth another awkward, tense smile. "Um…Jamie wanted me to see how you were doing."

For a moment, Miranda wished she hadn't said that. It almost sounded as if she were coming _only_ because Jamie asked her too. However, Tooth only nodded and put on a smile. "Oh. Well. I'm perfectly fine. Just a little dizzy."

"Good, good…"

The two women elapsed into a tense silence. Neither knew what to say to the other. Miranda tapped her flats against the tiles. Tooth slowly ran one hand down a braid, wrapping the end around a finger and twirling it.

Eventually, Miranda reached into the bag and pulled out a small green box with a single, golden letter _A_ on the face and a silver ribbon tied around the sides. Tooth immediately recognized it as a box from _Ambrosia,_ the bakery a small ways away from the dentistry that always had kids pressed to the glass windows just to see the sweets inside. Miranda handed it out to Tooth with a nod.

"Thank you," said Tooth.

She pulled off the ribbons, letting them curl into her lap, and gingerly lifted the lid off of the box. Inside were three rows of small cookie-like treats arranged precisely to mimic the scheme of a rainbow, going from red in the top-right corner to violet in the bottom-left corner. It was almost too good a sight to touch.

So good, in fact, that Tooth's hollow stomach let out a growl that made the sheets tremble. As the girl's face went into a pink flush, Miranda chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't know which ones you liked most, so I tried to get one of each."

"No, no, this is fine! Thank you!"

Tooth looked back down into the box. _Let's see…green with black filling, so that's probably mint. Half-white, half-brown, so…hot chocolate, maybe? And…oh, bless her, she got the blue-and-black earl grey ones, too!_

As much as Tooth was…well, a tooth-fanatic (she had no idea someone could be born with such a fitting name) she always had one little secret she never let show: she had a sweet tooth. Unfortunately, sweet equals sugar, which in turn equal cavities, so she _hardly_ enacted upon it. That is, until she made the mistake of eating a macaroon at North's house one time. After that slip-up, he'd gotten her a box of them for her birthday. And now everyone in town was convinced that she craved them…which wasn't a lie.

She placed the lid back onto the box and went to place it on the nightstand before she could nosedive into it. She sighed when she saw that the nightstand was already covered in boxes of sugar free cookies, bowls of soups, and a gallon of eggnog. She carefully made room for the box.

Miranda chuckled once again. "I take it that Nicholas is having a must-keep-Tooth-fed protocol, eh?"

"Oh, yeah," giggled Tooth. "I'll be having chicken soup for weeks after this."

Miranda smiled again, and then stopped to bit her lip. She opened her mouth silently for a moment, and then said, "Look, I know that I usually don't treat you well—"

"No, no—"

"Seriously, I know. I'm sorry. It's just that…" Miranda tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and adjusted the frames of her glasses. "It's been so stressful, and I'm not trying to excuse myself, but I'm trying to explain…"

"It's perfectly fine," assured Tooth. "I understand. It's not easy for you, and…and I know that you guys get a lot of flak from people. I don't blame you."

"Thank you. I promise, I'll be nicer from here on out."

Miranda pursed her lips for a moment, smiled, and offered her hand out to Tooth. The girl smiled in return and took it, giving it a curt shake.

Miranda's mouth formed a small 'O', and she reached back into her bag. "By the way, Jamie wanted me to give this back to you."

She pulled out a hardcover book with bold blue letters etched into the front—Tooth had always taken the paper covers off of all of her books because she thought that they looked better as such—and handed it to Tooth.

Tooth smiled at the title. _Ornithology: The Study of Birds, Big or Small._ "Ah…I let Jamie borrow it a while back. He said he needed reference for his pictures."

Miranda smiled again, but it was smaller, a bit hesitant. Tooth felt her stomach twist. Why had she said that?! Why did she choose now, when Miranda had _just_ promised to be nicer to her, to mention the pictures that Jamie drew? As in, the pictures of his fantasies? What was she thinking?

She opened her mouth to apologize, but the nurse entered a moment later. She told Tooth that maybe a nap would make her feel better. Miranda bid goodbye to Tooth and left a moment later. Tooth laid her head on the pillow, braids be darned, and pulled the sheets over her form. She wasn't going to sleep, and she knew it.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	10. Beating the Bushes P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Burgess, Nicholas leads Jackson and Sanderson in the search for the attacker. 
> 
> In past times, North, Bunnymund, and Sandy discuss the situation with a trusted friend. What they need to hear, however, is not what they want to hear.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

Also, another note for punctuation:

Ellipses (…) standing alone signify a scene change in **FLASHBACKS** and **FLASHBACKS** _only._ Scene changes in present time will be signified by line breaks.

THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S _THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD_ SERIES. HE OWNS THE CHARACTERS AND SERIES, NOT ME!

* * *

"He got _you_ in on this, too?"

Sanderson looked off to the side with a somewhat exaggerated shrug, as if to say ' _If you can't beat them, you might as well join them.'_ He reached under the reception desk and pulled out a simple black notebook. He turned it to a certain page and folded it along the spine before handing it out.

Nicholas reached over and took it in his massive hand, the size comparison making it look less like a notebook and more like a receipt. Sanderson had gone to Tooth's house in the guise that he was getting items for her—which he was, technically—and as an officer followed him through the house, he'd carefully examined the building. Nicholas and Jackson were at the Sweet Dreams Inn in to see what Sanderson uncovered.

Nicholas read the notes on the page aloud. "'One:The front and back doors didn't have broken locks _.'"_ He paused to look up at the two men beside and in front of him. "And ve know that Tooth doesn't have cellar, so that's ruled out, too. 'Two: I checked each and every window and not a single one vas broken.' So they didn't break in through vindow, either. 'Three: As I vent around getting things for Tooth (vith a police officer), the computer and television vere still there, and vhen I vent to get one of her books, I saw that her jewelry box vas completely untouched."

Jackson glanced outside the foggy windows. It was foolish, but he felt that someone—Miranda, the police, Tooth's attacker—would barge in and demand to know what they were doing…or, in the last case, would barge in and attack _them._

North continued reading. "'Four: Eggs, milk, bread'—Oh." He stopped when he saw Sanderson shaking his head and passed the notebook back to him. "Oh, that's just your grocery list. Alright."

"If there were no broken locks on the doors or broken windows," said Jackson, slowly, "then they either picked the lock or they had a key."

"Tooth only has two keys to her home. Ve knew where the other one vas at, and that's how ve vent into her home to clean up for her. _But,_ I replaced the lock last night and gave Tooth new key this morning."

Sanderson quickly scribbled down in his notebook, _So even if they_ _did_ _find the spare key, it would have been useless because it wouldn't fit the lock._

"The only option is that they picked the lock, then," deduced Jackson.

Sanderson's eyebrows furrowed in something akin to disappointment. He wrote in his notebook, _But that doesn't give us anything. We can't just go around asking everyone whether or not they can pick a lock, they could always just lie._

"And they would've just ditched whatever they used, right? To get rid of the evidence?"

Nicholas combed his meaty fingers through his beard. They weren't getting very far in this investigation at all.

He sighed, and slowly said, "Ve know that they have to be someone in this town. They had to know about Tooth's pendant and for vhatever reason, vanted _just_ the pendant. _And_ they had to know vhere Tooth lives."

"Nicholas…look, maybe we really should just let the police handle this. They can look for security tapes and alibis and we have nothing."

Nicholas suddenly jumped up and clapped his hands together. Jackson and Sanderson jumped in surprise, but Nicholas just gave a hearty laugh. The small lobby rang with the sound.

"Эврика! That's it!" Nicholas cried as he practically danced to the exit door. He turned to Jackson and Sanderson. "Come! We're going to The Clover!"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

North tapped his foot impatiently. It had been half an hour since Ombric had entered his "chambers." It was a large globe, slowly rotating on its axis. The surface was like opal, white but shining in marvelous colors. From inside, he could hear the soft hooting and cooing of the owls.

Ombric had entered the globe to speak with the Man in the Moon himself via astral projection. It was a tricky thing to do, astral projection. Although, since it was essentially extracting your conscience from your body and navigating elsewhere, it wasn't expected to be _easy._ If your body moved during the process, it could tamper with your 'reception', causing you to bounce between where your body was and where you were projecting. That was likely the reason that he entered his chambers to begin with. Not to mention the process left you hungry for months.

He heard a "poof!" behind him, followed by Bunnymund groaning angrily.

Being a fanatic of plant life, Bunnymund loved the wonder that was Big Root, and in the first visits there, he would often peer up to the scarlet canopy in awe. He's since come to realize that, as magnificent as Big Root was, it was also a plethora of surprises that Ombric took great pleasure in setting up just for him.

Bunnymund growled in disdain as he pawed at the mountain of suds and bubbles enveloping him. It was proven futile to get rid of and Bunnymund growled again before ducking down into the suds and out of sight. Sandy went ahead and conjured up an umbrella of Dreamsand and held it before him as a shield. A moment later, suds and bubbles went flying around the room as Bunnymund shook his body left-to-right, like a typical animal drying itself.

Bunnymund stood straight, looking almost shameful of acting as such. North silently flicked off some soap from his coat, which disappeared into thin air as it fell.

Bunnymund quickly placed the lid back on the jar and pushed it as far back on the wooden shelf as he could. "If I get _one more_ bubble bath…I'm going to s _cream._ "

Sandy silently chuckled, but stopped and pretended to whistle when Bunnymund turned to him with a glare.

Bunnymund approached North with an annoyed glare, his fur still damp. "How much longer is this going to take?"

"Astral projection is very difficult," North replied. "And—"

North stopped and looked down at the X underneath Bunnymund's feet. He placed his hands on the Guardian of Hope's arms and moved him to the left before continuing.

"And projecting to Moon could take hours, or days, or—"

There was a humming behind him.

"Nevermind."

Almost as if it were a blossom, a petal-shaped piece of the globe fell open slowly to the floor. From inside, Ombric stepped down from his wooden rod within the globe. The owls hooted softly behind him, bidding him farewell as the globe closed once again.

North took in the wizard with his eyes. Ombric was stroking the silver locks of his beard. His robes glimmered almost in thought. The wrinkled hand clutching his staff rolled it between its crooked fingers. It was when Ombric was clearly worried that North knew that something truly was wrong.

Finally, Ombric gestured them forward with a wave of his birch staff. He turned, and his robes furled out on the wood of the floor. "Follow me."

North and Bunnymund immediately followed the wizard, the latter bounding forward on his arms and legs. Sandy placed his umbrella on his shoulder and strolled behind them.

When he passed over the X on the floor, he paused in surprise when a small balloon filled with a bright pink liquid fell and spattered on his umbrella.

…

The canopy of Big Root was a wondrous place to be. The top of the tree was a bowl-shaped area that fanned out into marvelous limbs in all directions. The hundreds upon thousands of leaves swayed in the wind, making the starlight that shone through them dance and glimmer. The wood of the tree twisted into a knot at the center.

North took the last step up from the stairs and took in a deep breath of the night air. In his early days as the Guardian of Wonder, he often spent hours up here thinking of new trinkets and toys. The place was no less mystical in the day, where the silver starlight was replaced with golden sunlight and the rustling of the leaves accompanied the songs of the birds.

As the stairs disappeared into the wood of the tree, Ombric tapped the end of his staff twice on the tree. The leaves of the branches pulled together to form an opening in the canopy. The Moon came into clear view, casting more light in the area.

"I'm afraid that there's no way to say this in a… _nice_ manner. What's coming is something that we have no chance of defeating."

The three Guardians exchanged looks of alarm. The leaves seemed to pause in shock.

"What _is_ it?" demanded Bunnymund.

"Aster…there are things in this world that are not to be controlled, they are to be contained. Dark things…things that even Pitch cannot control. Things that were here before light, things that are alive, things that will devour anything in existence until there is nothing. These things are so vicious, so… _unholy_ that they have been tucked away in the core of the Earth to prevent their escape for millennia. And according to Tsar Lunar, these things are headed for you but will take everything in the way."

Bunnymund stepped forward, his eyes going from North to Ombric to Sandy. "What are we supposed to do?! The children, what—"

"In seven days' time," interjected Ombric. "It will be here. Tsar Lunar will take care of the children and every other human on this Earth, rest assured they will be safe. As for you, he has a plan."

* * *

Patrick Klaver, owner of The Clover, rolled his smoke pipe from one side of his mouth to the other. Typing in a few actions on the keyboard, he watched as the security camera placed in the rear parking lot—located above the walk-in freezer—rewound to the previous night. It faced and recorded the entrance to Serrano Avenue. When it finally reached around five o'clock, he turned to Nicholas, Sanderson, and Jackson. The four of them hardly fit together inside the relatively small security room.

"This one fast-forwards, this one rewinds, an' use these ta slow down whatever you're doin'." he said as his index finger hovered each button in turn. He stood up from his rotating chair and continued, "Ah don' care what you're doin', an' I don't care why you're doin' it. Just don' mess up the tapes."

He left the room and headed back to his place at the front of the restaurant.

Sandy sat down in the chair in his place—pausing to bring up the height a bit—and waited for instruction.

"Ve vere there until seven o'clock," said Nicholas. "And Baby Tooth vas there little after eight. So the attacker must have been there between seven and eight."

Sanderson nodded and fast-forwarded to seven o'clock. Cars speedily passed by, a few people passed by, and they caught a glimpse of an exiting police vehicle, and Sanderson and Nicholas's vehicles enter the Avenue. When the time hit seven o'clock and they saw the Ford Bronco II and the Chevrolet Celta exit the Avenue, Sanderson slowed down the tape.

They watched for around seven minutes. When it got dark enough, the tape went from all-color to green. Cars passed by the Avenue. One or two stragglers hobbled by on foot or on bikes. Some cars went into the Avenue, a few turning into their driveways on-screen. What cars _did_ enter the Avenue did not exit again.

Finally, at a little past eight, when they recognized the vehicle dropping off Baby Tooth enter the Avenue, Sanderson hit pause.

"So if they did it on foot, then they didn't go through the road, they must have gone through the forest," deducted Jackson. "And if they did it by car, they didn't exit…"

"So it could have been the neighbors…" Nicholas muttered. "But at same time, anyvone could have pulled up to the forest and valked through…"

Sandy shook his head and pulled out his notebook. He wrote something down and turned to the others with a flat look before holding it up.

_We're terrible at this._

"Police are…likely best for this." Nicholas sighed and nodded to Jackson and Sanderson. "I apologize greatly for vasting your time."

"You were just trying to help." Jackson reached up to pat Nicholas on his solid shoulder. "It's alright. You tried."

With nothing else to do, they exited The Clover and headed for their cars in the rear parking lot. Jackson could tell that Nicholas was really tearing himself up over this. He'd wanted so hard to find out who had hurt Tooth, and not only had he failed, but he had announced publicly that he was going to succeed. Embarrassed and disappointed.

Nicholas raised his head and sighed, a cloud of steam erupting from his mouth. He lifted up a massive hand and waved unenthusiastically. "Morning, Rhys."

Jackson followed his line of sight to a young man approaching them, walking a Bearded Collie on a leash. He recognized him as the man that Jamie dubbed as Cupid. He was a handsome man, likely in his early twenties, Korean from what Jackson could tell. He had shaggy black hair and almond-shaped brown eyes atop high cheekbones. He was slender and dressed in a long crimson coat.

Rhys lifted up a gloved hand to wave in reply. "Morning, Nicholas." His face was neutral, but he seemed to frown when he saw the somberness of the toymaker. "Is something wrong?"

"Just…vorried about Tooth," replied Nicholas.

"I heard that you were trying to find out did it. How's it g…"

Rhys stopped when Jackson shook his head and waved his hand past his neck in a 'Don't talk about it!' gesture. He paused and cleared his throat as his dog whined, not comfortable at the lack of attention. Rhys bent down to rub the Collie behind the ears.

"Well, ahem…I actually came to help you with that."

"Thank you, Rhys," sighed Nicholas. He opened his Ford Bronco II and climbed inside with a huff. "But I'm afraid ve are done here. Police vill handle this now."

"Oh? I thought you would appreciate some information."

Nicholas's door _instantly_ snapped back open, and he stepped out faster than humanely possible. "Vhat information?"

"Last night, as I was in my living room—" Here, Rhys pointed down the street, in what Jackson assumed was the direction of his house. "—I saw a car pull to the side of the road and someone climb out. They went into the woods—in the direction of Tooth's house—and came back around a half-hour later, at around seven-fifty."

Nicholas leaned on his car door and narrowed his eyes at the man, as if to assess him. "Vhy did you not go to police?"

Rhys shrugged coolly. "They're going door-to-door, so I figured I would wait until they came to me."

Something in his voice made Jackson think otherwise. It was almost like Rhys didn't want to tell the _police_ , he wanted to tell _Nicholas_ , for whatever reason he had.

"Did you see the license plate?" asked Jackson.

"Yes. And, interestingly enough, not only is the exact same car over _there…"_

Rhys pointed a slender finger at the Burgess Bank, just across the street from The Clover. Following his direct gesture, Jackson spotted a sleek black Scion sitting alone in the rear parking lot.

"…but the man who exited the vehicle looked awfully similar to the man that runs that bank."

* * *

Jamie gave Sophie another push on the swing. Sophie gave another squeal and kicked her legs up, a bit out of synch with Jamie's pushing. Sophie's long blonde hair—it was still choppy in places where she'd cut it with scissors, but she had a meltdown every time Miranda tried to fix that—flew forward and backward as she cried, "Higher! Higher!"

Jamie put more strength into his pushing and looked around the rest of the playground. Kate and Nile sat on either end of one of the three seesaws, lazily going up and down as Kate talked and Nile listened. Jamie didn't talk to them very much, but Kate didn't complain when he talked about his book, and Nile listened politely. Two girls were taking turns going down the slide. Two boys in Jamie's grade were climbing on the monkey bars, before they suddenly dropped and hit the ground running.

At one of the park benches, Miranda sat with one of the mothers taking their children to the playground. Sophie squealed to go even higher, and when Jamie looked back to Miranda, he saw that a bitter glaze had appeared in her eyes. The other woman must have brought up Jamie. Miranda replied to the woman kindly, but was clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

Jamie had found out a detail on Miranda quite a while ago. She had three buttons that you did _not_ want to push:

Jamie talking about his ideas

Jamie talking back to her

Anyone else talking about Jamie

Sophie called Jamie to stop pushing her. He had just hardly pulled the swing to a stop when Sophie hopped off and made a beeline for the rock climbing wall. Jamie followed her begrudgingly. The only thing that Jamie really did whenever he went to the playground was follow Sophie around, due to her liking to do things that should _not_ be done without supervision.

As Sophie waited for the last straggler of a child to finish climbing up to the ledge, Jamie did another sweep of the playground and stopped his gaze under one of the oak trees on the other side of the street.

A car was parked underneath the tree, the shade of the canopy silhouetting the driver. Their head was turned at Jamie's direction. Their hands were on the wheel.

As young as he was, Jamie wasn't an idiot. He knew that a lone car with a single driver who was staring at a playground full of children was…well, he wondered where the security guard of the playground was.

Sophie finally placed one small hand on a small plastic rock and one pink sneaker on another. Jamie held his hands behind and under her, like he always did.

Jamie turned back to the car. The driver's head was turned away to the seat beside them, as if looking at or for something. Their head turned back to them, and he could feel that they were staring at him. He stared back. Should he call his mother? He felt that he should, but the watcher may be alarmed and drive off—

"Catch me!"

In a split second, Jamie turned around, saw Sophie crouch on the ledge and spring forward, and instinctively threw up his arms to catch her.

The younger Bennett child collided with the elder. Jamie hadn't had time to step back far enough to catch her correctly, and he grunted in pain as Sophie's foot smashed into his right cheek. As he fell back, Sophie's other foot hit his chin as she gave a shriek. Jamie's back hit the rocks and pebbles while Sophie landed safely, if not heavily, on his stomach and legs.

He heard several "oh!"s and "ooh!"s from the parents, and a pair of footsteps crunching over the pebbles, closer and closer to him. Then he felt a pair of arms lift Sophie up from him, and the same pair lift himself up.

"Oh, oh, oh! Are you okay, sweetie?"

Miranda swept and swiped the pebbles and dirt from Jamie's clothes. Sophie stared at Jamie with big puppy-dog eyes from behind Miranda.

Jamie grimaced as Miranda's fingers touched his right cheek, spreading ache across his cheekbone. A scrape had spread across his cheekbone, and a bruise was already forming around it.

Miranda grimaced, too, and wiped away the collecting blood. She briefly turned her head to Sophie to say "Sweetheart, don't _do_ that."

Jamie turned back to look at the car, but it was gone.

* * *

The hospital finally decided to release Tooth. It took a while to convince them that yes, she was fine, but they let her go with a last checkup and a goodbye. Now Aster would be bringing B.T. over for dinner at The Clover.

When she opened the door, she thought that she would just hear the bell ring, but several greetings were thrown her way. Even people at the back of the restaurant called out to her. She didn't know what else to do, so she just smiled and waved and said "hello."

She went to an open booth and scooted into the seat. Each booth had a long copy of the menu on the wall, but she didn't spare a glance at it, she knew the menu by heart, seeing as she ate there practically every day.

Finn walked up to her booth almost immediately. He offered her a small smile and said, "'Ey, Tooth. Whot can I get you?"

"Hey, Finn. Um…I'm going to have the chicken parmesan with water, please."

When Finn gave no indicator of acknowledging her, Tooth looked up at him. She rolled her eyes when she saw that Finn was far too distracted by Saba—who was currently walking over to a new table, tucking a piece of her long black hair behind one ear—and snapped her fingers. Finn's head twitched back to her. "Whot? Ah, sorry. Yeah, chicken-almond salad an' root guiness, got it."

Tooth didn't even try to call him back, simply staring into space for a moment before shaking her head. As she waited for her meal, two people walked up to her to ask if she was okay and several people said hello as they walked past.

Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she expected it to be anyone _but_ Rhys Archer. Rhys was the kind of guy that made teenage girls giggle and swoon, the guy that some college girls claimed to date but turned to jelly every time they spotted him in the grocery. Rhys offered her a shadow of a smile for a moment, before opening his mouth to speak.

"Um…Nicholas asked me to see if you were okay."

"I'm…fine." She paused, and added, "Um…I haven't seen you talk to Nicholas before."

"We don't really, other than small chat. Would you mind if I asked a question of my own?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"I don't mean to bring up unwanted memories, but…the pendant that was stolen from you. Are you positive that that was _all_ that was taken?"

"Uh…Yes?"

"Are you _sure_? Was there _anything_ else?"

It was something in the way that he insisted that made Tooth's defense rise a bit. "Yes. I'm sure. Why are you asking?"

Rhys paused and glanced up at the window. Tooth had a creeping feeling that he was looking to see if someone was watching. He leaned forward a bit, and lowered his voice. "You associate closely with Jamie Bennett, yes?"

Nearly instantly, Tooth's tone went a bit colder, telling him to be a bit more cautious to where he was going. "Yes."

"And he believes you too be involved in this…past life that we all shared?"

"Yes. You didn't answer my question."

He still didn't, instead asking another question, one that was hardly above a whisper.

"What do you believe of it?"

At that last beat, the door swung open, and in came Aster, swinging B.T. on one arm. He waved at a few passerbies and paused when he saw Rhys and Tooth, with Rhys still leaning over her table.

Rhys straightened up, smoothing his coat out, and gave a nod to Tooth. Tooth nodded back slowly, and watched as he passed B.T. and Aster before finally exiting the restaurant.

B.T. hopped into the seat next to Tooth with complete casualty, but Aster raised an eyebrow at Tooth as he did so. "What was that about?"

"Nicholas wanted to see if I was fine."

Aster nodded, but just hardly so. B.T. was using a red crayon to draw on a coloring sheet with a smiling leprechaun—Klaver always kept boxes of crayons and coloring sheets up front for the tykes—so he said under his breath, "Sometimes Rhys just...steers me the wrong way, y'know?"

Tooth paused and replied, "Just because he doesn't talk much—"

She almost _allowed_ for Aster to interrupt. "Nah, it's more than that. Like he knows something no one else does, but he'll only drop hints."

Tooth wanted to reply. She wanted to ask, 'What do you mean?' Or say, 'Does he ever talk to Jamie?'

But Finn had returned with her salad and was ready to take the others' order before she could.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

The face of the Moon grew as Ombric waved his staff. The Moon wasn't actually coming closer to Earth; it was more like a projection of it was being shown, like a film. The leaves and limbs of Big Root twisted and huddled together to show it. The silver light in the canopy grew brighter.

Ombric turned to the men with a serious frown. "The Man in the Moon...does have a plan. But...it doesn't have sound results. If anything, this will just soften the blow of the attack. He can help you escape what is coming soundly, but where we will escape to is unsure."

"How can we escape," sighed North, "When we don't know where we are escaping to?"

"He can take you away to a different..." Ombric paused, and his free hand waved around as he tried to conjure a word. "...Plane. A different timeline. I don't know how to explain it, but my point is that _yes_ , it can save you, but what it is like and what will become of you is unknown."

In the silence that followed, Sandy tipped his head to the side, as if saying, _Is there any other way? This isn't too reassuring._

"I hear you. But this is your only option. But what you need now is a set plan for action and to acquire the item needed."

The projection of the Moon grew and shaped into a still globe, with silver continents and sparkling gray oceans that wavered like liquid. A single pinpoint glimmered gold.

"Right here," said Ombric, "Is the object that will guide you to the new land. When used, it will open a portal."

"So why don't we go get it now?" asked North.

"Would you let me finish?!" The millennia-old Ombric, wise as a god and as smart as Apollo, gave an adolescent roll of his eyes. "You just need someone to go!"

North opened his mouth, and Dreamsand swirled above Sandy's head, but it was Bunnymund that beat them. "I'll go."

"Good man, Bunnymund."

Something like a raindrop, unshaped and translucent, fell from the projection before forming into a scroll-like paper. The paper moved on its own will to Bunnymund, and the glow of it died down the moment his paw touched it.

"North, what I need you to do is be a leader. Get them through this."

North frowned. "Is that it? I just...lead?"

Ombric shook his head somberly. His eyes bore into the Russian's, and in them, North saw everything that Ombric saw. "I don't think you grasp just how important leadership is."

Before North could reply, Ombric had turned to the oldest of them. "Sandy, might I have a private word with you? North, Bunnymund, please wait downstairs."

...

North and Bunnymund waited downstairs, as promised. More beverages appeared for then, but they waved them off. Their stomachs were too heavy to consume anything. Bunnymund read over his map in the meantime, turning it left and right.

Finally, Ombric and Sandy reappeared from the canopy. Sandy was smiling, but North could see the falseness of it. He could tell that Sandy was putting it on to simply appear content, and he could tell that Sandy noticed him staring.

"And now, we must discuss something else." Ombric ran a hand down his beard as he spoke. "What I am about to tell you, you will not be happy to hear."

They prepared themselves, but what Ombric said next made their stomachs twist and churn. North's breath hitched.

"Only four of you will be able to go."

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	11. Beating the Bushes P4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Burgess, the case seems to have come to a final, but uncomfortable, close. But tensions are still high, and Mr. Kozmotis's intentions remain ever ambiguous. 
> 
> In past times, the Guardians attempt to deal with the news that Ombric tells them.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

**Also, I'm changing Nicholas/North saying "v" sounds in the place of "w" sounds. I thought that was what he sounded like in the movie, but it's not.**

**THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S _THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD_ SERIES. HE OWNS THE CHARACTERS AND SERIES, NOT ME!**

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." Bunnymund held up his paws, pushing them forward on each word for emphasis. His green eyes were narrowed in something akin to disbelief. " _Whoa_. What do you mean, only four of us will be able to go?!"

"There will only be enough magic to take five people," explained Ombric. He held up one of his hands with all five nimble, botched fingers spread. As he spoke his next sentence, his thumb curled into his pale palm. "And Tsar Lunar wants one of those people to be Jamie Bennett."

"Jamie?" North's voice echoed off the wooden walls. His adrenaline was pumping too hard to remain tranquil.

"Jamie was the only child who believed in the Guardians when no other child on earth did."

For a moment, North remembered with a heavy heart the sight of the Globe a year prior. He had watched as the hundreds of lights shone, flickered, and died until whole countries of children had ceased to stay alit. He had flown around the earth to relight them, to bring Sandy back and his friends strong, but he'd failed. He had felt himself become weaker and overcome with fatigue, watched as Toothiana constantly fell to the ground on weak legs, and stood useless as Bunnymund shrunk into a tiny former shell. He remembered feeling the squeeze of his heart as he saw the last light on the Globe—the one child that, if he stopped believing, could erase them from existence.

"Tsar Lunar sees a burning will inside Jamie. Something that you will need. And…he also has another contender in mind." Ombric's wizened eyes were downcast to the floor as he elaborated, slowly, "Pitch Black."

"ALRIGHT, NOW THIS IS JUST _BULL DUST_!"

"I WOULD SOONER JUMP OFF _GLACIER_ THAN REPLACE FRIEND WITH PITCH BLACK!"

Sandy sped past Bunnymund to stand before everyone. He gestured to himself, then to Bunnymund and North. Two golden figures, depicting the winged Tooth and the spindly Jack, appeared in golden Dreamsand. They were replaced by the looming figure of Pitch, and Sandy's round face became twisted with disgust. _There are still_ five _of us! And you want one of us to be replaced with PITCH?!_

"I understand, Sanderson, that there are still five Guardians. And I made my distaste in this plan clear, but Tsar Lunar strongly insists on Pitch's presence. Something— _Zeus knows what_ —must render him as useful as Jamie Bennett." When the Guardians continued to object and shout, he held up a hand to silence them. "At the very least, Tsar Lunar knows that Pitch may very well not agree to accompany you. So he may not go regardless. And, for that note, he requests that Toothiana be the person to speak with him, on account of her and Pitch's previous 'personal conversation'."

North's hand tugged at his beard as he gave a rumbling groan. Sandy's round eyes were staring straight ahead as his small hands twisted each others' fingers. Bunnymund ran a paw over his flat ears before they sprung back up.

He glared down the wizard with anger not directed at him. North noticed the sudden stiffness in Ombric's posture. Bunnymund was the only person who could make Ombric Shalazar uncomfortable with just his gaze—likely because Ombric held such high respect for the six-foot-tall rabbit. "Listen. If Manny wants Toothy to talk to Pitch by herself, then I won't be stoked, but fine. But if she does convince him…does he honestly expect me to save that ratbag over a friend?! After what he's _done_?!"

North heard Bunnymund's voice break on the last word. Bunnymund was the only one of them with a _personal_ hatred for the Bogeyman. And if he didn't want to save him, North wasn't going to blame him for a second.

"Aster…I understand that you cannot possibly be asked to _calmly_ agree to Tsar's request. But you may have to. If Tsar Lunar thinks that Pitch will need to come with us, then who is to say he is wrong?"

Bunnymund shook his head and grit his teeth in fury. He shoved past North and headed for the front door. "I'm going to get whatever's on this map. I'll see you two at the Pole."

When the door opened for him, North stepped forward to stop him. Ombric's bony hand took hold of his coat the exact moment that the door slammed shut. "No, Nicholas. Let him go." He stepped back a bit as Sandy hovered to North's side. "Sanderson, Nicholas, you should prepare. And, when Aster returns, you should speak with the others about..." He paused. "…about who will be going."

Big Root's door opened for the two of them. Sandy silently passed through with his tiny feet dragging on the floor. North stopped before the wizard, who turned to him as if he knew he would.

North blew air from his nose audibly. He scratched at the hair on his neck and tugged at his cap before saying, "Maybe…maybe if I can convince the others, and we figure out how, we can—"

"Nicholas. You know as well as I do that I will not be able to leave Santoff Claussen. And no amount of believing or hoping will change that." Ombric gestured through the door to the awaiting sleigh. "Now, go. Be a leader."

* * *

Mr. Kozmotis carefully adjusted the placement of the magnifying glass. The image of the pendant faded a moment before returning to sharp clarity. He could see every scratch on the glass, every stroke of paint.

He reached out to the set of precision tools on the desk. He chose a thin hook, the metal glinting in the light of the lamp. He squinted as he set the tip of the hook within one of the four crevices of the pyramid. With great caution, he pressed it as far inside the sealing gold paint as he could. He'd spread thinner within the crevices earlier, and as he slowly pulled the hook through, the paint curled up and fell from the pyramid. He repeated this process on the other three crevices before working on whatever remained of the sealing paint in the middle point.

Just as he swept the gold curls and flakes away from the tray, a small green light on the desk lit and buzzed. He sighed and quickly tucked away the precision tool inside the pouch. He stood from his desk and reached for the oil painting on the wall. He removed it, revealing a sheet of metal with a small handle on one end. He pulled the handle and the sheet opened to a storage compartment hidden within the wall. The light buzzed again. He rolled up the precision tools and placed them inside the compartment. He slid in the tray as well, slid the door back, and hung the painting once more.

He briskly walked to the lobby of the bank. Two police officers were waiting outside the door with impatient faces. Mr. Kozmotis recognized them as Officer Herman, the fastest member of the police department, and Officer Hester, who was known to be quite a motherly figure. Officer Herman was lean and fit, with curls of golden hair that were bright against his tan skin. Officer Hester was a rather rounded woman, with soft lines and curves, but lovely nonetheless.

When he unlocked and opened the door, he offered them a plastered smile that appeared apologetic. "Good evening, Officers."

Instead of a greeting, Officer Herman crossed his wiry arms over his chest. Mr. Kozmotis wondered whether he willingly wore a shirt that was tighter than his own skin or whether he couldn't get a new one. "What kind of bank has a doorbell?"

Honestly, Mr. Kozmotis wanted to reply with, _'Why did you use it, then?'_ but instead bit his tongue and replied, "I'm afraid I can't hear someone knocking from in my office. The doorbell sends a signal there. Is there any way that I could help you?"

Hester held her soft hands together as she said, "We need to ask you a few questions."

Mr. Kozmotis paused, his dark eyes turning to each officer, but replied, "Very well."

"According to an anonymous eye witness, you were seen exiting your vehicle and heading into the forest in the direction of Ana Punjam's household last night. I take it you know what happened to her?"

Mr. Kozmotis gritted his teeth. "Yes."

"What do you have to say about this report?" asked Officer Herman.

Mr. Kozmotis had to very quickly think of a lie or an excuse. That in and of itself was ironic, considering that the "report" was almost a lie as well. The issue was that he didn't know if they had already or could eventually find physical evidence in the future. _Although_ , given that he had a pretty fair idea of who had reported him, then there probably wasn't any solid evidence other than a 'witness account.' It wasn't like he'd get himself into just as much trouble.

"If you propose that I attacked Ana Punjam," demurred Mr. Kozmotis in a slow voice, "then I assure you that I did not."

"Then what were you doing in the forest?"

"I believe I have the Fifth Amendment right to remain silent."

He knew that refusing to answer the question would only raise suspicion of him, but he honestly had no other explanation that could possibly work. Officers Hester and Herman shared a narrowed look with one another before Herman rumbled, "If we were to search your house and this bank, would we find the item stolen from Ana?"

"If you were to search my house and this bank, you would require a warrant." Mr. Kozmotis mentally chastised himself for his bitter tone, and judging by the Officers' faces, they didn't appreciate it, either. He stood straighter, a cool look on his features, and asked, "Is there anything more that I can do for you?"

"No, sir. Thank you for your cooperation."

The officers and Mr. Kozmotis both turned away. Holding the door open just a fragment, Mr. Kozmotis could hear Officer Herman complaining gruffly of his attitude. He shut the door before he became too angered.

He needed to be quick. He returned to his office and pulled everything back from the compartment until it was just as it had originally been. He readjusted the glare of the lamp and now reached for two small rods, almost like knitting needles. He placed the rods inside the visible cracks of the pendant and began to push them in opposing directions.

It took force, and a few minutes of painful pushing of the wrists, but eventually he could hear a splintering sound. Suddenly, one of the sides of the pyramids flew open, and his hand smacked onto the tray as a result. Mr. Kozmotis breathed a sigh of relief while at the same time taking in a deep breath of air.

Turning the pendant to face him, his breath caught in his throat.

Inside the small walls of the pendant was a small tooth. Pearly and round, it gave off a luminescent glow like moonlight. When he oh-so-very tenderly took it in his palm, the glow did not falter or flicker.

And now he was one step closer.

* * *

Jackson's deep brown eyes watched the police vehicle as it turned the corner of the road in the direction of the police station. On the other side of the table, Nicholas was reading a leather-bound book as he awaited their orders, a pair of reading glasses across his eyes. Sanderson was writing who-knows-what in his journal and seemed rather intent on it.

Jackson tapped a finger on the table and inquired, slowly, " _Maybe_ we should have waited for more evidence."

"Rhys may not talk much," Nicholas replied as he licked a fingertip and turned a page of his book, "but he's not a liar. Even in chances that he did lie, then we cannot be blamed for that."

"What about Mr. Kozmotis?" asked Jackson. "If he didn't do it, won't he get pretty upset? He might get mad at Rhys, or us."

Sandy jotted something into his notebook and held it up to Jackson. _He can't hurt us. Then the police will_ _really_ _be after him._

"Touché." His fingers drummed against the tabletop once again as he awkwardly sought out a segue into a conversation. "So who is Rhys, anyway?"

"I would say that you have already met him," replied Nicholas, "Unless you're referring to his _real_ identity."

Jackson's lips curled into a smirk at the Russian. "Ha-ha-ha, ho-ho-ho. I mean what does he do around town?"

"As far as I know, Rhys works at library. He is not a very good conversationalist. He's already graduated college…" Nicholas's icy blue eyes pulled up from the words of his book, instead narrowing at nothing in particular. "Now that I consider, I know very little about him."

He shrugged at the same time that his phone went off. He shut his book, folding the corner of a page (something that secretly annoyed Jackson) and dug into a pocket of his bear fur coat. He flicked his wrist to flip it open and set it to his ear. "здравствуйте, Nicholas St. North speaking." There was a pause as the other person on the line responded. "Oh, Tooth! Good to hear from you…yes…I'm at The Clover with Sanderson and Jackson." Nicholas held his phone out to the two men. "Say hello to Tooth."

Sanderson glared between the phone and Nicholas before rolling his eyes and going back to his notebook. Jackson awkwardly cleared his throat and softly said, "Hi, I guess."

Nicholas returned the phone to his ear. "Yes…Tooth says hello…No, we're done…I can't say for sure, but I think we have a good idea…We reported him…Tooth, Tooth…alright…calm down! I'll tell you when I know for sure…alright…good. Is Aster with you?...Good…Alright…No, you don't have to drink eggnog if you don't want to…See you soon."

He shut his phone and tucked in back into his pocket. He gave Jackson and Sanderson a sort a relieved grin as he announced, "Tooth is home now. Bug as a…Snug as a rug in a..."

" 'Snug as a bug in a rug?'"

"Yes, I think so. Now all we have to do is wait for police to handle things."

Jackson sat back in his seat and reached his hands into the pockets of his coat for his cellphone. At the same time that Finn came with their orders, Jackson felt something else in his pocket. He paused to thank Finn before pulling it out.

It was a piece of folded paper, and when he pulled it open, he made something between an amused chuckle and a tired sigh. It was a drawn picture of three items: the wooden staff, a blue hoodie with a frost like pattern around the neck, and what looked like a bear claw donut. Both images had respective captions in familiar handwriting: "Keep this!", "Could you find something like this?", and "Get one of these from Ambrosia. REALLY GOOD!"

Nicholas glances up from his roast beef and gives a laugh at the paper. "Stealthy boy, eh?"

"I can't believe I didn't find it sooner. I swear that kid is a ninja."

"He has a gift," replied Nicholas. He reached into a pocket of his massive coat and pulled out a pocket watch, a pocketbook, a fountain pen, a handful of candies, a set of keys, a bundle of clean tissues, an eraser, a few rubber bands, a plastic bag, the wheel of a toy car, and a small Russian babushka before he finally took out a note similar to Jackson's. It depicted an odd sort of toy design, and—for some reason or another—a recipe for peppermint chip cookies. "Sanderson! SANDY!"

Sanderson sprung awake from snoozing silently. He looked at Nicholas as he pulled the toothpick from his club sandwich.

"Do you have note?"

Sanderson, in response, pulled yet another piece of paper from his pants pocket. This one was a bit more cryptic, with several shades of yellow ink side by side and miscellaneous small items like carrots, teeth, and candy canes. Sanderson pulled out his notebook and pencil again to reply, _He sends them whenever. I guess it's to "jog our memory."_

"I take it you guys haven't heard from Jamie for a while."

Sanderson shakes his head as he reaches for his sandwich. Nicholas gives a surprisingly chipper "No" before stuffing a large bite of roast beef into his mouth.

"I also take it that this has happened before."

Sanderson nods. Nicholas swallows and replies an equally chipper, "Yes." However, a moment later he adds, "So don't feel like this is something you caused for the first time."

"I don't mean to invade or anything, but…How long has Jamie been having his ideas? When did it start?"

As Nicholas chewed on another bite of roast beef, he sat back in his seat and narrowed his eyes in thought. A few moments passed before he swallowed and replied, "Frankly, I cannot remember. Do you, Sanderson?"

Sanderson wiped his fingers on a napkin before reaching for his pencil. _He's been having them for as long as I can remember._

Nicholas gestured to the innkeeper with his knife. "Jamie thinks Sanderson is the Sandman."

Jackson gave a short laugh as he reached for his tea. He turned to the man beside him with a smirk. "Is there a reason for—?" He decided not to finish his sentence when he saw that Sanderson had once again fallen asleep. Jackson quietly took one of his French fries before turning to his burger.

When Finn stopped by their table once again to see if they needed any refills on their beverages, they were all distracted from seeing the car pull out of the bank lot.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

North rarely used the "meeting room" of the Workshop. Usually, when he summoned the others to the Pole for whatever needs—and that was not very often at all—they spoke before the Globe, or the fireplace. Maybe it was because the fireplace provided comforting warmth from the constant blizzards outside. Maybe it was because the yetis and elves could quickly deliver food and drinks sooner. Maybe it was because they liked to watch the glimmering lights of the Globe.

Maybe it was because it wasn't unbearably silent in there.

The meeting room completely silenced whatever sounds emitted from the work of the yetis and elves: whirs, clicks, buzzes, tinkles, chimes, rings, etc. The only noise in the room at all was emitting from the six-handed clock on the face of one wall. It was one of the only rooms in the Workshop that never had yetis or elves inside of it. It was the only room in the Workshop that didn't smell of nutmeg and ginger and smoky pinewood.

The five Guardians sat around the ovular pine table in tall seats capped with marvelous antlers. Sandy was wide awake, hardly blinking for that matter. Bunnymund was slouching in a brooding fashion and wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Toothiana was more hummingbird-like than ever, tiny in the large chair and turning her head at the others. Jack had his arms folded on the table with his staff in the crook of his right elbow. North was seated at the head of the table, his chair having two more sets of antlers than the others. He was staring at his interlocked fingers with hard blue eyes.

Finally, when no one else offered words to speak, he raised his voice and said, "No point in just sitting around doing nothing. We should decide."

It was a moment before Bunnymund raised his eyes to glower at him and harshly bit back, "Do you expect us to choose which one of us to die?"

"We don't know that." North's voice was sharp and clipped. "And yes, we need to choose. We have to decide who will go and who will stay. And once we make this decision, it cannot be changed. Let's start from scratch. Do we have volunteers to stay?"

Almost immediately, four hands and paw lifted into the air. A collective sigh went around the room as they were lowered back down and the Guardians leaned back in their seats. A few mirthless laughs were made.

North ran a callused hand down his face with a low groan. Of course everyone would volunteer for the others.

"Let's try that again. We need at least two people to volunteer. One will stay for sure; other may stay if Pitch doesn't agree."

Sandy's hand went to the air immediately still. Jack's pale hand began to move, but Toothiana's hand suddenly shot into the air before he could raise it. Jack gave a sigh that was half out of worry and half out of appreciation.

"Tooth and Sandy have volunteered to stay behind." Jack and Bunnymund both began to protest, but North raised a hand to silence them. "Before we object, I will ask them both why they think that we should leave."

Toothiana and Sandy both turned to each other. When Sandy waved his hand for her to speak first, Toothiana nodded and began, "I think that North should go because he is our leader and he knows how to fight."

To add to her statement, Sandy produced an image of a sphere that quickly burst into an ovular shape. _He can also use his globes to get you out of danger if you need._

"Bunnymund could use tunnels to help us escape, too."

_He's also good at long distance combat._

"Jack should be there for Jamie. You know, so he'd be more comfortable and not as scared."

_If it's possible, he can use the attack he made against Pitch last year._

North nodded slowly as a low hum sounded in his throat. His eyes were downcast as he contemplated what they had both said. He took a deep breath that was let out slowly. "Now would you both say why you think the other should go and why you should stay?"

"I believe Sandy should go because he can do anything with his Dreamsand," stated Toothiana. Toothiana's small hands, previously concealed under the table, raised to her chest level to make gestures. "And he's the oldest of us, so he's wiser. I don't have any real powers that can be used in combat. I don't have the physical strength as the rest of you."

 _Tooth should go because she's intelligent. She can speak every language. She remembers everything she hears, sees, or reads._ Sandy tossed his hands into the air with wide eyes. _She translated the Rosetta Stone by memory! Even if I have physical strength, so do the rest of you. You'll need intelligence just as much as force._

When he was done, Jack and Bunnymund turned to North expectantly. His eyes were shifting from the Guardian of Memories to the Guardian of Dreams to his clasped hands. Finally, he leaned back in his seat.

"Judging on positives and negatives of either case, I believe that it is in our best interests that Sandy be the one to remain and Tooth the one to possibly come as an alternative to Pitch. That has been decided."

A heavy silence was set upon the room then. Sandy reclined back into his seat with a nod. Bunnymund glared down at his paws bitterly. Toothiana's stature went limp, though she offered a small smile to Jack when he patted her on her shoulder.

Jack's eyes rose from her to the Cossack at the head of the table. "Hey, North. Maybe we should...I mean, Tooth should go tell her fairies, and Bunnymund should tell his Eggs. You, too, with the yetis and the elves."

North clapped his hands together with a booming smack, but did not smile. "Yes, that would be best." He stood from his seat, the legs sliding against the stone of the floor. "Meeting dismissed. Take care of anything needed to prepare yourselves."

One by one, they each stood and exited the room. Bunnymund bounded out of sight on all fours, obviously still furious. Sandy waved goodbye to everyone before conjuring a large bird of Dreamsand and soaring out of the Workshop. Toothiana and Jack left side-by-side, Toothiana hovering above the floor and Jack with his staff leaning against his shoulder, lowly talking to one another. Toothiana still seemed shaken about talking to Pitch, judging by the amount of times her azure feet skimmed the floor. Not that North could blame her.

North found himself alone once again. He should have went ahead to speak to the yetis and elves. To tell them that there would be no need for the toys that they'd spent so much time on. That they could go to their quarters. That he'd be gone for an unknown amount of time.

But instead he sat there in the silence of the meeting room.

* * *

Tooth and B.T. had decided that, with nothing else to really do, they had might as well retire for the evening. They'd both changed into their pajamas, and had popped a bowl of popcorn for them to snack on. The movie they'd settled on—an odd animated film about a porcelain doll brought to life by her wizard creator—was biting a two-hour chunk out of their three-hour weekly limit, but neither Tooth nor B.T. minded in the least. Aster still refused to return home and was still seated in the recliner. Despite his attempt to appear disinterested, he wouldn't take his eyes off of the screen when he reached for the popcorn.

The doorbell rang at the same moment that the timer on the oven began to bleat. Tooth tossed back the blanket around her legs, nearly covering B.T. entirely. She pulled on her slippers and turned to Aster to say, "Could you get the cookies out of the oven?"

"Sure thing," Aster replied before begrudgingly rising from his seat.

Tooth pulled open the door without a single second thought of consideration. A police officer—she'd seen too many of them lately!—was on her front step with his hands behind his back. His tag read _Thalass._ He was as tall as Aster, and just as built, but clearly older. He had a silver beard and aqua eyes, and smelled vaguely of sea salt or something akin to it.

He opened his mouth to speak, but paused when he looked Tooth up and down. Tooth paused before slowly staring down at herself. She immediately felt a blush consume her cheeks. She had forgotten her pajamas at the hospital, so she'd resorted to her secondary option for sleepwear: a tank top with an astronaut's body on the front (designed in such a way that it looked as if her own head was atop it) and shorts with cupcakes designed on them. Oh, and not only that, but she was wearing the same green, fuzzy slippers with antennae-stemmed eyeballs that shot up whenever she took a step. She also remembered with a cringe that she'd let B.T. braid her hair…into two Princess Leia-style braided buns.

The officer simply shook his head—clearly thinking, 'I'm not pair nearly enough'—and inquired, "Are you Ana Punjam?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

B.T. decided to trot up to the door then, and Tooth took a deep breath as she forced her eyes away from her younger sister. Of all the nights for B.T. to wear the onesie designed like a cow…complete with a hood that doubled as a mask. A moment of pure horror crossed Officer Thalass's face for a moment. He must not have processed immediately that it was a child in a cow's costume and not a small cow on its hind legs.

B.T. stared up at Tooth through the holes in the cow's eyes and said, in a muffled voice, "Maybe we should offer him a cookie."

Officer Thalass took in a deep breath and turned back to the eldest Punjam girl. "I have—"

And wouldn't you know it, the six-foot-tall, broad-muscled, tattooed Aster walked up just _right then_ , in a frilly pink apron and matching oven mitts. The pink apron had a heart on the chest that read _Kiss the Cook!,_ with a heart for the dot under the exclamation point. He'd even gone as far as to tie the strings behind him, so the tiny apron was stretched across his torso. If Tooth wasn't ready to die of humiliation right then and there, she would have laughed.

Aster gestured to the tray of freshly baked (sugar free) peanut butter cookies that he was holding with his oven mitts. "Do you want me to put these on a plate or what?"

Aster finally took notice of Officer Thalass ogling at him, and for a solid sixty seconds, the four of them stared at each other. Aster, Tooth, and B.T. staring at the police officer. Officer Thalass staring at Princess Leia, a talking cow, and Lucy Ricardo. Crickets chirped somewhere beyond the front door. Eventually, Aster tiptoed backwards from the doorway and out of sight.

Officer Thalass closed his eyes as he finally held out his hand with his palm facing upwards.

Tooth let out something between a gasp and a shriek. Her pendant! It looked exactly like it had been the day before. Though it lacked the chain now, that could easily be replaced. She snatched it from Officer Thalass's hand and held it practically to her nose. There wasn't a single thing wrong with its image.

When she'd finally stopped blubbering ineligibly, she asked in a high octave, "Where was it?!"

* * *

When Jackson finally returned home for the evening, he was exhausted. It was early, but after a day of running to and fro all over town, he didn't care. He tossed his keys onto the bar and made a beeline for the bed. He kicked off his shoes and discarded his jacket before collapsing down onto the blankets. Pajamas be darned.

He closed his eyes, letting fatigue wash over him, drifting into sleep…

_RIIIIING! RIIIIING!_

Jackson almost felt a physical pain absorb him. _Of course._ He reasoned with himself, thinking, maybe it's just my alarm ringing because it's morning.

But no, it was his cellphone, and he had been half-awake, half-asleep for five minutes. He clawed for his phone and pushed up from the mattress to answer it. Part of his face was already red and imprinted with a wrinkle.

"Hello?"

" _JACK WE WERE WRONG."_

He flinched at the sudden screeching in his ear. He forced himself into an upright position and tried to speak, saying, "Wait—"

" _WE WERE VERY, VERY WRONG."_

"Who—?"

" _IT WASN'T KOZMOTIS, JACK. IT WASN'T KOZMOTIS!"_

"…Then who was it?"

" _IT WAS RHYS. IT WAS RHYS!"_

Jackson wasn't exactly shocked beyond words, but his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Rhys? But—"

" _RHYS STOLE THE PENDANT. I DON'T KNOW HOW OR WHY, BUT HE DID! AND HE TRIED TO BLAME KOZMOTIS!"_

"Well, North I'm really sorry, I know he was your friend and all…But why are you calling me?"

" _BECAUSE THEY ARE ARRESTING HIM RIGHT NOW, JACK! HE'S BEING ARRESTED! I KNOW HE DIDN'T DO IT, AND WE HAVE TO PROVE THAT!"_

"…Right now?"

" _WELL…NO, NOT RIGHT NOW."_

"Can it wait until morning? I'm pretty exhausted."

"… _YES, I TOO AM VERY TIRED. I'LL SPEAK TO YOU TOMORROW."_

The line went dead, and Jackson tossed it to the side before collapsing once more.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	12. Scrutiny P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicholas is unbelieving in Rhys's arrest, while Tooth is utterly confused. In flashbacks, Jamie and Jack decide to meet up with a friend for the night.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

**THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S** _**THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD** _ **SERIES. HE OWNS THE CHARACTER AND SERIES, NOT ME!**

**Note that the flashbacks take place as North, Bunnymund, and Sandy are with Ombric.**

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Passing through walls is incredibly hard, Jack discovered in his seventh month as a Guardian.

North and Toothiana had been using the ability for centuries and longer, possibly a millennium or two. It was an ability that North's mentor had taught him an eternity ago. North used the gift because not every home had a chimney to go through to deliver gifts, Toothiana and her Mini Fairies because bedroom windows were closed more often than not. According to the latter, it was indeed difficult at first, but it would eventually become as second nature as walking. And judging by how they did it—Toothiana slowly as she told him how to do so, North casually stepping through a wall as if it weren't there—it was supposed to be effortless.

But weeks of training later, and Jack was still crashing into Jamie's bedroom window like a blinded bird.

Jamie let out a surprised yelp as he jumped upright. He took a shaky breath and shook his head as he placed his coloring pencils down on his desk and padded to the window. He unlocked the doors and pulled them open as he stared down with the blankest of expressions across his face. Below the window, he could see tufts of snowy hair and gangly limbs jutting out from the bushes. He called down to it, his breath appearing in smoky wisps in the winter air. "Really?"

"I landed on a shrub."

Jamie chuckled and stepped away from the window. A moment later, there was a slight gust of chilly wind as the spirit shot upwards from the bushes and landed on the sill almost elegantly on his toes. He rubbed and swiped away the leaves and twigs stuck to his hoodie. In a slightly high-pitched voice, he mimicked the Tooth Fairy's words. "'It's easy, Jack. Just keep trying, Jack. _Quit falling,_ Jack.'"

Jamie giggled and reached over to his desk for his paper. He held it up to Jack's eyes. It depicted a brown-and-white yeti standing in a blank space. He was clearly improving with his coloring skills. The brown and white fur is blended together almost perfectly in some places, and he's managed to depict the bushy white mustache without outlining it in black.

"That's great! I especially love the captured look of loathing in the eyes."

Jamie smiled at that. Already dressed in his hat, gloves, and vest, he quickly picked up his ice-skates from the foot of his bed. It wasn't hard to convince his mother to take him to purchase new, better-fitting ice skates. It was slightly harder to convince her why he wasn't using them. He'd told her that his friends' plans to ice-skate were constantly cancelled, but her belief was wearing thin.

Jack knelt down and let out an 'oof!' when Jamie jumped onto his back from behind. The boy wrapped his legs around Jack's torso and his arms around his neck and shoulders. Jack stood up with a grunt and his hands on Jamie's knees. He carefully crawled up the window sill, his bare toes against the edge of the cold wood. "You ready?"

Jamie's voice was muffled in Jack's hood. "Yeah."

Jack rolled his eyes, thinking 'Obviously, you're not', but dove out the window regardless. Jamie let out a half-terrified, half-excited squeal as they took off. He giggled when the wind wavered, possibly on purpose, causing Jack to teeter side-to-side. His face was flushed red within seconds from the cold lapping at his face. Jack took them higher, just over the treetops. He knew that Jamie wasn't acrophobic—if Jamie was scared of anything, it wasn't heights—but he still felt reluctant to take him higher. Soaring a mile above the ground was a lot less stressful when not under the threat of dropping a child to their death.

After flying for a mere minute or so—Jack paused to do a barrel roll in midair, which had Jamie clinging to him like a cat—they finally landed on the ice-crusted shore of the lake. The moonlight highlighted the frost and scratches on the solid surface. Jamie jumped from Jack's body, slid a bit, and began to pull on his ice skates. "C'mon, Jack!"

Jack stepped forward, smiling, but the moment that his bare toes touched the solid ice, he came to a halt and his smile fell.

_Be careful!_

_Ha, ha! We will!_

In the past months, as the memories of his past life became clearer and clearer in his mind, dots had connected in his head, one by one. At first he realized that Burgess was the same Burgess had had been born and raised in, and after that, he began noting the familiar places. The bakery was where the mayor's house used to be. He recalled running to the riverside with the other village boys. The watermill had long ago been taken down, but there was still an embankment where it was built.

Last year, when he finally took his oath as a Guardian—with Dreamsand falling like golden snow, the other Guardians applauding him, the Moon smiling down—he had never once thought nor realized that the lake that they had been standing on had been the same one that he had drowned in. And when he realized it later, it still didn't bother him. He supposed it offered some sort of explanation to as why he kept returning to it. But that was it. It was just a lake.

But now, a glance at the lake as he was flying into the town caused his stomach to slightly roil. He was reluctant to approach it now. He couldn't remember his death. He only recalled a sudden, almost burning coldness engulfing him, his sister crying out his name, and then the Moon reaching out for him through darkness. There was nothing in-between, it was a full sequence.

Standing at the lakeside, watching Jamie place his feet into his skates, his stomach clenched and a million images flashed in his mind. He saw his mother's smile, and his sister's panicked face, and the darkness encompassing him. He could almost feel the iciness of the water taking hold of him again. He swallowed, his throat feeling dry all of a sudden. His fingers tightened on the shaft of his staff.

"Jack?"

It took him a moment to register that it was Jamie, not his sister, who was calling his name. Jamie was standing in the middle of the frozen lake, his arms slightly extended at his sides, one eyebrow raised at him. It was three hundred years later. The ice was as solid as a brick wall, not frozen a few days prior. But still, Jack was still hit with the image of a girl staring up at him with wide eyes as the ice splintered beneath her.

"Are you okay?"

Sometimes he even sounded like her. In his thoughts, Jack didn't realize that he was answering the boy with silence until he was slowly gliding over to him. With the toes of his skates against the rim of the lake, Jamie took in the boy with furrowed brows. He'd wondered why Jack's tone had shifted when he'd asked him to take him skating. He hadn't asked, though there was no particular reason.

"We don't have to skate if you don't want to."

"No, no, I promised. I'm fine."

Jamie seemed unconvinced, but glided back to the center of the lake nevertheless. His skates made scratching sounds against the ice. _New skates,_ Jack reminded himself, _not just pieces of metal strapped onto his shoes._ Jack shook his head to himself as he stepped forward, trying his best to appear unaffected. He hoped he was doing it well.

His stress began to ebb away as the two of them skated around the lake. For a while, Jamie grasped the hook of Jack's staff as Jack span him in circles. For another short time, Jamie kept his arms parallel as Jack created paths on the ice that pushed him themselves. Eventually, Jamie sat on the bank, content to watch Jack create whatever crystalline marvels his could. These ranged from life-sized figurines to sculptures of nonsensical shapes.

Jack finished his final masterpiece—several crescents of smooth ice that stood above him, almost like a diamond flower. Finally, with a wave of his staff, the ice fell to the lake. He slid to Jamie at the shore and asked, "You ready to go home?"

Jamie only made half of a nod before something above them caught his eye. He let out a gasp and pointed a gloved finger upwards, to which Jack's gaze followed. In the bright moonlight, a small bird was soaring speedily in the air. Actually, no, it wasn't a small bird at all—it was one of the Mini Fairies. From where they stood, Jack could see the gleam of its sapphire feathers and the glint of the gold coin in its tiny hands.

Jack looked back down to Jamie expectantly. Identical grins spread across their faces. Jack knelt down once again. Jamie jumped on his back quickly, wrapping his arms and legs around his frame. Jack bent his knees and jumped upwards, letting the wind take care of their flight.

They followed the Mini Fairy to the other side of Burgess, quickly and quietly so as not to be detected. The Mini Fairy darted through trees and over rooftops, slowly descending lower and lower. Finally, it darted through a glass window into a child's bedroom—something Jack rolled his icy blue eyes at. The Mini Fairy fluttered around the room for a moment before descending to the slumbering child. Jack and Jamie almost had their noses to the frosted glass as they watched it at work.

Jamie guessed—judging by the long raven braid slung across the red bed sheets—that it was Leyla, the Turkish girl a grade below him in school. The walls of her bedroom were covered in images of superheroes, some even he couldn't name. Some of them appeared to be hand drawn by pencils and crayons. A foot-tall action figure stood on her nightstand. Even her nightlight was a superhero logo lit with a bulb.

The Mini Fairy darted underneath the pillow. A moment later, the girl turned her head in her sleep. Jack and Jamie stifled laughter as a near-inaudible squeak emitted from underneath her head. A lump moved under the fabric and feathers, seemingly lost and blind, until the Mini Fairy finally popped up from one end. It was panting with fear, the golden coin now replaced with a pearly tooth.

Jack could then see the large gold feather atop her head, unlike the other Mini Fairies. Jack gently tapped a knuckle against the glass of the window. Baby Tooth turned to them, surprised. She narrowed her mismatched eyes at Jack, a miniscule finger rising to her lips in a shushing gesture before pointing at the slumbering girl. She gave the child another glance before flittering to the two boys.

She was on the other side of the glass before Jack could even blink his eyes. She still had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed at him. She chirped at him as she pointed at the child, obviously scolding him for interrupting her job. Jack simply smiled and gently tapped her on her head. "Nice to see you, too, Baby T."

Baby Tooth dropped the scowl on her face reluctantly. Jamie pulled one arm from around Jack's neck to lift up an index finger to the Mini Fairy. Baby Tooth paused before perching on his finger. She tucked the pearly tooth underneath her arm, pausing to wipe off a small scuff. She chirped and gestured her free hand casually.

Jamie turned to Jack expectantly, having no idea what she was saying. Jack didn't know either, but spending an extended period of time with Baby Tooth had him accustomed to as what she usually meant. He shifted himself on the sill before replying, "We were ice skating at the lake, but we saw you and decided to say hello."

Jamie put on a smile and gave her a small wave. "Hello."

Baby Tooth smiled a tad at the both of them. Her head suddenly snapped to the right, her eyes wide and her iridescent wings twitching. Jamie raised a bemused eyebrow at Jack, who leaned to his ear to explain. Toothiana typically voiced her commands to her Mini Fairies, but because they could not speak outside of chirping, they usually communicated via telepathy. Jack had concluded a fair amount of time prior that the sudden stillness of a Mini Fairy meant that their leader was attempting to communicate with them.

Baby Tooth's wings began to flutter once again. She rose from Jamie's finger and took a sudden dart in the opposite direction. She paused, turning back to the boys with wide, asymmetric eyes. With her small mouth smiling and chirping excitedly, she waved for them to follow her. She took off before they could reply.

* * *

"I don't know how to explain it, Jackson! I just don't know!"

Jackson didn't know what to say, so he instead took a deep chug of his coffee. Aster would need him at ten, so at nine o'clock, he was at _Santoff Claussen_ with Nicholas. Rhys was currently at the police station, under arrest for assault and theft and possibly a few other charges that Jackson had already forgotten. Nicholas was beside himself. He was pacing a rut in the floor and his coffee had stopped steaming long ago.

As Jackson reached for another spoonful of creamer for his coffee, Nicholas pulled at the snowy locks of his hair in frustration. His voice almost shook the kitchen walls. "It wasn't Rhys, I know! I can feel it!" Nicholas paused before taking hold of his gut and shaking it. Jack's nose wrinkled at the audible sloshing sound. "In my belly!"

Jackson tapped a knuckle on the surface of the table. He spoke slowly, carefully considering his words. "I don't mean this to be mean, but is that all that you have? A gut feeling?"

North rose a smug eyebrow at the boy. A smirk appeared underneath his beard as he gave his belly a light tap. "Never lets me down." His eyebrows furrowed, and in a much calmer voice, he said, "If it _was_ him, then why would he do it? I know he and Tooth almost never talk, so he has no reason to hurt her, and I know he doesn't need money. If he _didn't_ do it, then he must have been framed. And who would frame him? How did they do it?"

"If he did do it, then why would be blame it on Mr. Kozmotis? Why him, specifically?"

Nicholas finally sat down with a huff. The chair was twice as large as the others at the table, yet it still whined underneath his weight. Nicholas reached for his mug, took a drink, twisted his face in disgust at the coolness of it, and immediately stood back up to approach the microwave. "I know that he didn't do it, but logic is piling against me."

Jackson set his mug down and raised a hand. He faltered, not sure whether he should put a hand on Nicholas's shoulder or give him a one-armed hug. He eventually decided that the former option might be awkward, and that their size difference wouldn't even permit a sideways hug. He attempted a comforting pat on Nicholas's shoulder, but it was more like a sluggishly slow tapping. Nicholas's eyes slowly lifted to the boy, holding clear bewilderment, and Jackson quickly placed his hand in his lap.

Jackson coughed awkwardly and said, "I know that Rhys is your…" He paused, not sure what to say. "Friend?"

Nicholas shrugged, his hand doing an unsure wave. _"Eh…"_

"Sort of? Kind of?"

"Somewhat."

"Alright, I know that Rhys is your acquaintance and all, but if they found the pendant at his house, then I don't see how he _didn't_ do it."

Nicholas placed his mug down and folded his hands in his lap. For a moment, Jackson saw resign on the older man's face. It disappeared as Nicholas let out a long, low groan and slowly leaned forward until his face was against the table surface. Jackson sat frozen in his seat, unsure of what to do. With his voice muffled against the table, Nicholas rumbled, "I'm sorry, Jackson. You haven't been here for two weeks, and already, so much has happened."

"Tell me about it."

* * *

_Rhys Archer took my pendant._

_Rhys Archer attacked me._

_Rhys Archer is a dangerous criminal who could have killed me._

_Rhys Archer. Dangerous. Could have killed me._

_Rhys Archer._

_REES-ARE-CHER._

Tooth absentmindedly twirled her spoon in her mug of green tea. The metal utensil made soft clinking sounds on the sides of ceramic. She would be leaving for her classes in an hour. She'd showered the night before, sadly destroying the waves that her younger sister's braiding had created in her hair. But she still had to dress, comb her hair, apply make-up, finish her breakfast, prepare B.T.'s breakfast, and do whatever else to have the child ready for school.

She downed the rest of her green tea and scraped up the rest of her oatmeal. The tea tasted bittersweet at best and the oatmeal was like paste in her mouth. It was almost as if her brain was too far in overdrive to comprehend flavor. She hadn't been thinking straight for the past eleven hours. She didn't recall Aster leaving her home, nor did she recall tucking B.T. into bed. Even her sleep was a dreamless, blank haze.

She simply couldn't process that it was Rhys Archer that had intruded into her home, knocked her unconscious, and stolen her pendant. Rhys, whom she hardly ever spoke to. Rhys, who she knew little to nothing about. Rhys, who had only yesterday spoken to her longer than he ever had. It was too sudden a foreign a fact to make sense of. She didn't know Rhys very well at all, but he certainly did not seem a criminal.

 _Now Mr. Kozmotis_ , she thought as she pulled out the strawberry yogurt from the refrigerator, _he certainly did._ She had known already that Nicholas, Jackson, and Sanderson had originally figured that it was Mr. Kozmotis that had done the crime. And she had certainly been convinced, as the stakes were piling high against him. But at the last moment, it seemed, the pendant had been found on _Rhys._ In his _pocket,_ no less!

She had to quit thinking about it. She had to rid it from her mind. She picked up her crossword page from the countertop, and for a moment, it worked…Until she looked down at the puzzle. Every word in the puzzle was Rhys Archer. She groaned and chucked it into the garbage. So much for that.

She was on autopilot for the rest of the morning. She prepared B.T.'s yogurt and granola cereal, dressed into her clothes, pulled her hair into their braids, applied her makeup, and helped her younger sister pin her inky hair into a bun. Finally, when B.T. had her backpack and her sister had her knapsack, the two girls piled into the combusting buggy. She nearly forgot to give B.T. a kiss on the cheek before she ran into the school. Her heart jumped into her throat when she nearly missed a stop sign.

It seemed to be only the blink of an eye before she was sitting at one of the classroom tables, pulling on her lab coat. She attempted to fill her thoughts with a mantra for her incoming test. _Sodium chloride is composed of…_ But she couldn't, her mind was too chaotic. It was bursting with stress, and the stares sent her way were certainly not helping. Whispers passed through the air in a hum, her name peppered over the conversations.

The chair beside her was pulled backwards, the legs scraping across the floor. The sound pulled her out of the haze of her mind instantly. When she raised her amethyst, lightly bagged eyes to the person sitting next to her, she'd be lying if she said she was unsurprised to see that it was Diamond Lazuli. Her silken pearly hair was pulled into a braided bun fit for a queen. Perfect eyelashes—thick, dark, the mascara _not_ blotted together in clumps—lined her emerald orbs and cast delicate shadows on her rosy cheeks. Her attire was regal, the light illuminated her marble-like skin, and her movements were as fluid as water. Tooth wondered if she was actually human or every positive adjective in a humanoid form.

Diamond's delicate scarlet lips pulled back from her snowy teeth in a stunning smile. Tooth thought that she heard several sharp intakes of breath from the students around her. All she could think about was how her teeth probably looked like popcorn kernels in comparison to Diamond's. "Hello. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

Tooth just shook her head shakily. The most gorgeous girl in the universe and the girl whom had been assaulted two days prior were now sitting at the same table. All eyes were pinned on them. Tooth knew for a fact that she wasn't imagining it. Heads were turned. She squirmed in her seat, willing herself not to blush. She was never one for mass attention.

Class passed both slowly and quickly, which only made her head swim more. She hardly processed the professor's words. Her pencil moved across her notebook mechanically, the scratching of lead on paper like the whirring of a computer. The next class was hardly any different. When it was time for her to have lunch, she found herself headed for her third class instead.

She shook her head vehemently, her braids whipping in her face. _Forget about it,_ she told herself. _What's done is done. He's arrested. If you can't get over it, then at least function correctly._ She tucked a hair over her ear and held up her chin.

Quick footsteps approached down the hallway. Tooth didn't spare a glance up at first, seeing as hurrying students was not a new sight at all. It was when the footsteps slowed and their owner stopped beside her that Tooth looked up. Diamond was once again standing next to her, nonchalantly tucking a book into her knapsack. For a moment, Tooth wondered if she even knew that she was there.

She was answered when Diamond turned to her with another dazzling smile. Tooth clenched her teeth out of instinct. "Hey. Are you busy for lunch?"

"Um…I was going to just get something from the cafeteria."

Diamond stopped in front of an exit, turning her head to it. Silver chandelier earrings swung at her ears at the movement. "I'll take you to lunch. My treat."

Tooth blinked at her stupidly. Lunch? Her treat? The longest conversation they'd shared was about _The Autumn Symphony_ in the hospital! Where was this invitation coming from? "It's okay; you don't have to."

Diamond rolled her eyes playfully—the least elegant thing that Tooth had ever seen her do. At least, until Diamond suddenly snatched up Tooth's hands with her own. Did she use _liquefied silk_ as a hand lotion? _Geez._ Diamond kept one hand on Tooth's right wrist as she used the other to open the door. "Come on. You need a break, and I am here to provide."

Tooth's amethyst eyes squinted at the taller girl in the brightness. Diamond's pastel colors made her near-blinding in the sunlight. "Thanks, but where is this coming from? We've hardly talked before."

Diamond's tongue clicked. "Let's just say a little birdy told me you needed a fixer-upper."

"Nicholas?"

"Nicholas is _not_ little."

"Aster?"

"Littler."

"Um…Sandy?"

"Nice try, but nope."

"B.T.?"

"You're getting close…"

"Oh! Jamie?"

Diamond smirked at her, nodding. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys, clicking the unlock button. Tooth heard a small click from a white car to their right—surprisingly simple for the otherwise extravagant student. As Diamond gestured for Tooth to get in on the other side, she explained, "Jamie keeps coming in for his sessions. He can't talk to you right now, so he asked me to cheer you up."

Tooth's stomach suddenly let out a loud, rumbling growl that was likely audible from outside the vehicle. Heat rose to her cheeks as she instinctively placed one hand on her belly in shock. Diamond laughed, and although it wasn't mocking, Tooth still sank deeper in her seat. "And I take it that food is exactly what you need right now?"

Tooth breathily laughed as she buckled her seatbelt. "Yeah, probably." She paused. "How's Jamie doing?"

"Fine. Not happy, of course, but fine." Diamond's scarlet lips pursed. The car gave a slight lurch as it moved backwards. "He misses you and the others, I can tell. Which reminds me…" Diamond didn't remove her eyes from the windshield as she reached into the pocket of her pale green skinny jeans. She withdrew a folded piece of paper and held it out to Tooth. "He asked me to give this to you."

Tooth unfolded the paper, and a smile spread across her lips. The sheet was covered in scribbling and pictures, with a few side notes. The bottom left of the sheet held an image of what looked like a feathery headpiece on a mannequin. She took a moment to marvel at the detail in the feathers, from the one large feather at the front to the smaller, rounder feathers like earrings. Next to it, a note read, _I think I nailed it this time!_ As usual, there were a few images of teeth scattered about. For a silent moment, she read over all the messages. _Colors like golden-tailed sapphire hummingbirds? No feet? Telepathy with Mini Fairies?_

"What's that?"

Tooth glanced up at Diamond, whose eyes were now flickering from the road to the sheet. "He likes to give us notes on 'what we were like'."

Diamond nodded, and with another glance at the paper, she asked, "Hey, can you tell me about that? I've always been curious, but I know zilch about it."

"Sure. Well…Where do I begin…?"

* * *

_The Easter Bunny originated in 18_ _th_ _century. German immigrants told their children of the "Osterhase", a hare that would leave colored eggs and gifts for obedient children. "Hase" means "hare", and indeed, the Easter Bunny was not a rabbit, but a hare. It—_

A tapping sound at the window made Jamie's head snap up from the book spread on the desk. A blue jay sat on the sill, its beak tapping at the glass. Jamie let out a shaky breath. There was no winter spirit to greet him at the window. Of course not.

He reached for the small bag of peanuts that he always kept at his desk for this reason. He opened the bag, poured a handful of nuts into his palm, sealed the bag, and approached the window. He undid the latch and pulled it open with a small creak. The blue jay jumped in surprise, its head turning sideways to look at the boy. Jamie spread the nuts in a small line on the sill. The blue jay paused and gave one nut a light peck before biting off pieces of it, bit by bit, and gobbling it up.

Jamie watched it for a moment before looking into the street. He'd spent the past few days drawing pictures that he'd already drawn a million times, reading books that he'd already read a million times, playing games with Sophie that he'd already played a million times, and attending sessions with Dr. Thaddeus that he'd already attending a million times. These pastimes and school had him in a repeating cycle. Not to say that school was a saving grace, either. Recess was "going on the playground with your friends" for everyone else. For Jamie, recess was "drawing on the bench by yourself."

He missed Claude, Caleb, Monty, Pippa, and even Cupcake. They weren't there. They were…well, he didn't know what became of them. After the Dark, or the Darkness, or the "whatever" came in, they never showed up in Burgess. As a matter of fact, the more he studied and the more clues he found, the more that he was convinced that he and his family were the only people in town that weren't something before.

He was getting in that mood again. Every now and then, usually when he was bored and doing nothing, he would just sulk and brood about how unfair hit situation was. It was unfair that everyone was like they were now. It was unfair that he was the only one who remembered the past. It was unaware that he was made fun of for it. It was unfair that he had to go to therapy for it. It was unfair that his mother hated him for being right. It was unfair—

A knock at the door had him jumping back, startling the blue jay. He closed the window, leaving the bird in piece, an dquickly wiped away whatever tears had formed in his eyes. He approached the door, pausing to breathe in and out, in and out, to get rid of the flush in his face. He pulled the door open, expecting his mother (whoop-dee-doo), but instead found his sister waiting for him.

Sophie's small hand pointed to the stairs as she bounced on her heels. "Breakfast!"

Jamie nodded and grabbed his blue backpack before following her out of his room. The scent of syrup grew stronger as they approached the kitchen. Miranda was at the stove, flipping egg-dipped slices of bread in a pan. The maple syrup bottle and raspberry containers were set out on the counter for them. Jamie lifted his sister into her seat and sat beside her.

After a few minutes, the French toast was prepared. As Miranda was trying to remove the excess whipped cream from her daughter's face, Jamie bent down and reached for his backpack. He sifted through his notebook for a moment, looking for the notes meant for Sanderson. He instead found the picture that he'd been working on at recess yesterday. He set his fork down, making sure to rub off any leftover syrup on his napkin, and pulled it out.

He didn't mean to make it so _disturbing._ He'd meant to draw the figure he'd seen outside his window the other night. He'd made the outline of the person, and then filled it with his pencil, drawing sideways and swirling inwards and whatnot. He'd dragged his hand over the silhouette afterwards so that the lead would rub off to the side like a shadow. It was supposed to be a simple figure, but it looked creepy. He'd be scared of it if he didn't draw it himself.

"What's that?"

Jamie nearly fell out of his seat at his mother's voice. He attempted to shove the paper back into his backpack with an abrupt shout of "Nothing!"

He wasn't fast enough, because his mother took hold of his wrist and pulled his hand back. Jamie rolled his eyes with a sigh. Miranda's eyebrows furrowed at the paper. Removing it from his finger, she held it with both hands, her gaze scrutinizing. She looked back at him, and said, slowly, "What's this supposed to be?"

"Um…something from a dream. Mrs. Vasilisa said we should try that."

Miranda made a hum before stating, "Must have been a nightmare, huh?"

"Not really. I didn't mean for it to turn out like that. I'm adding more things today."

He reclaimed the paper before she could respond. Yes, just a nightmare…that had been showing up for two nights in a row.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Baby Tooth led the two boys beyond Burgess, to its neighboring town Crockett. It was smaller than Burgess, neighborhoods of identical houses scattered around a collection of stores and offices. A towering white chapel stood in the middle of the town like a prized display. The windows of the houses were unlit, leaving the flickering streetlamps to provide light. Flecks of ice drifted silently through the air.

Finally, a figure rose from one of the windows. Baby Tooth immediately darted to it. Toothiana was, note, _easily_ gliding out of a window, tucking teeth into a silken pouch at her hip. When Baby Tooth approached, her mouth formed into an 'O' and she immediately began to instruct the Mini Fairy. After a while, it was obvious that Baby Tooth was trying and failing to tell her queen about the boys.

Jack landed on the roof of the building gently. He and Jamie only caught the last bit of instructions that the queen was giving. "…and tell Ortensia _once again_ that if she comes across a cat on a mission, _do. Not. Engage._ "

Baby Tooth nodded and chirped, but thrust her arms in the direction of the boys. "What? What's wrong?" Toothiana finally turned to the boys. At the same time that she let out an "oh!", her feathers ruffled in surprise. She embarrassedly smoothed them down as she fluttered to them. "Hello, gentlemen. What are you doing out this evening?"

"Ice skating," said Jamie. "But then we followed Baby Tooth."

"And I assume that _you_ are collecting teeth, m'lady?"

Toothiana gave something like a curtsy, bowing at her stomach lightly. "Why, yes, I am." The pleased smile fell away from her face as she reached into her pouch. She pulled out four pieces of white bone in her palm for them to see. One piece was a full tooth, while the other three seemed to be fragments. Grimacing, she explained, "Skateboarding accident. Hit a bump and landed face-first on the curb. One tooth fell out at once, the other shattered on impact."

All four of them sucked in air through their teeth, wincing. Toothiana turned to her right-hand-fairy as she placed the teeth away again. "Go ahead and take care of those things, okay?" Baby Tooth nodded, waved to the boys, and sped off to the east. She'd completely disappeared into the trees within a second.

Jamie leaned around Jack's head to ask, "Can we help?"

Toothiana's nose wrinkled on one side as she placed her hands on her hips. "I don't know…Last time I checked, you can't fly."

Jack hummed. He placed his hand on the hook of his staff, leaning on it while keeping an arm hooked around Jamie's leg. "Can't you take a break?"

"It's a busy a night as any."

"The Mini Fairies collected teeth for four hundred and forty years themselves, right? I think they'll do fine for one night."

Toothiana's amethyst eyes narrowed at the winter spirit slyly. She pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on her sides. Finally, a smile eased onto her lips. "That _is_ a fair point." She rolled her eyes dramatically, tossing her hands into the air. "If you're going to twist my arm, fine." She clasped her small hands together. "So…" She shrugged. "What are we going to do?"

Jamie suddenly squirmed on Jack's back. It was as if he'd been waiting for the question forever. "How about a race?"

Toothiana and Jack turned to the boy, both of their faces carrying matching expressions of furrowed brows and perplexed frowns. "A race?" they both asked.

Jamie nodded and climbed down from Jack's torso. He stood between the two Guardians and inquired, "You can both fly, right?" He lightly bounced on his heels in excitement. A smile was spreading across his face. "I've always wanted to see how fast you guys can go. Please?"

Jack and Toothiana turned to one another. Amethyst eyes met blue. Toothiana kept her hands folded in her lap. Jack wondered to himself how she managed to look like a queen one second and an overexcited teenager the next. And he then realized, that even if he knew that the Guardian of Memories was _at least_ four hundred and forty years old, how old was she physically? Was she a teenager? Or was she in her twenties, maybe even early thirties?

Toothiana shrugged her shoulders once again. Her hands moved from being folded in her lap to being held behind her back, underneath her wings. "That sounds fine."

Jack held up his hands. "I'm fine with it if you are."

Jamie turned away from the two, closing his eyes and pumping a fist. He said a near-inaudible "yes!" and turned back to them. "Okay…Let's find out the landmarks." Jamie turned his body left and right, his eyes scanning around the town from the roof they stood upon. Finally, he began to instruct them, his finger pointing to the places that he spoke of. "Alright, first go to that house with the green curtains, then head to the chapel. Spin around the spire and then go from the red house to the blue one, then the white one. Touch all the chimneys on the houses and come back here."

Both Guardians nodded and agreed. Jack stepped over to one side of the sloped roof and gestured with his staff for Toothiana to get on the other. Toothiana paused for a moment, hovering in one place until she finally eased down. Her wings fluttered to a stop as her small feet met the tiles. The iridescent fins rested against her back, the ends brushing against her tail feathers.

Jack knelt down, one knee and one hand lightly resting on the roof, with his other hand gripping his staff. Toothiana looked over him and slowly, awkwardly mimicked his stance. A gust of wind blew at Jack's back. He smiled to himself. The Wind had his back, it seemed.

Jamie sat down behind them and announced, "On your mark…get set… _GO!_ "

Jack used his staff to kick himself off the roof, and soon, the Wind was blasting him in the direction of the house with the green curtains. At the same time, however, a green-and-blur blur was already there. In hindsight, when he considered that Toothiana was always appearing from one person's side to another's in the blink of an eye…he should have expected her to be fast. Very, _very_ fast. By the time he finally leapt off the roof of the house, she was already at the chapel.

She spiraled up the spire like a ribbon and took off for the houses without missing a beat. Jack gripped the spire with one hand and span himself around the structure. He launched himself to the houses, landing on the red house and skimming the chimney with his hand. She was already touching the chimney of the white house as he did so. When he came back to the rooftop, Tooth had already been there for five seconds longer.

Jamie stood to his feet, applauding the fairy. Jack himself had to let out a breathless "oh-hoh!" laugh of surprise. Toothiana bowed like a performer in midair. She extended her arms at her sides and fanned out her tail feathers like a dress. When she straightened herself, she was blushing pink.

"What _was_ that?!" Jack gestured to the houses flippantly as he exclaimed, "Wha—I didn't know you could—!"

"How did you think I got to the North Pole so soon when I was as far South as Argentina?"

"I thought you were closer than that! That was…"

"Awesome," Jamie cried. He was still bouncing on his heels.

"Yeah," Jack agreed with another laugh. He waved the hook of his staff at her. "What else are you hiding from us?"

Toothiana hummed. Waving her hand, she stated, "That's for another day. What else do we have on our schedule for tonight?"

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear that this is the last 'episode' to have flashbacks from just before the portal incident. Next episodes, we'll be looking into the backstories of our heroes.


	13. Scrutiny P2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooth and Diamond run into familiar faces at Ambrosia. In flashbacks, Toothiana is urged to try something new with Jack and Jamie.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

**THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S** _**THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD** _ **HE OWNS THE CHARACTERS AND SERIES, NOT ME!**

* * *

Officer Z. Dias punched the red button on the recording device that sat between him and Rhys Archer. The convict's dark hair was disheveled at odd angles and light bags hung from his eyes. The sleep in the cell had obviously not been a comfortable one, and his blue dress shirt had a patchwork of wrinkles on it. Despite that, however, Rhys' gaze was as cool as ever, and he was showing no telltale signs of guilt. That didn't stop Officer Adrian from glowering at him from the corner to watch his every move. Minerva, the lawyer assigned to Rhys, simply held her hands in her lap and kept her chin high.

"You claim that you are _not_ guilty of the assault and theft of Ana Punjam, yes?"

Minerva turned to her client, but he had already nodded in confirmation.

Dias sighed and shifted in his seat. "I guess we may as well start from the beginning...Where were you on the evening of Saturday, November 24th, between the times of seven and eight P.M.?"

"I was at my home."

"What were you doing?"

Rhys raised and lowered one shoulder. "Reading. Watching TV. Just things to pass the time."

"Do you have any proof of that?"

"No."

"So you are saying that you were at your home from seven to eight P.M., and although you have no proof, you do swear that."

"Yes, officer."

Dias raised an eyebrow for one moment. "You're surprisingly benign for someone who's being accused for a serious crime."

In a nonchalant voice, Rhys replied, "I have nothing to be guilty of."

"Then how do you explain Miss Punjam's pendant being found on your person?"

"The pendant was found in my coat pocket. Naturally, I've been wearing a coat to fight off the cold weather, but I _do_ remove it when I am indoors. Such as The Clover or the library. Someone had to have put the pendant in my pocket when I was not looking."

Dias nodded slowly, considering. "It's possible. But it's also possible that you're lying, even if you swear you're not. Either way, we don't have evidence of either case. But if your assumption is correct, where have you been since Saturday other than your home?"

Rhys paused to think about it. Despite Minerva's gentle reminder that he didn't have to answer that, he did. "The Clover and the library. I also went to the grocery, but I didn't remove my coat then."

Dias nodded yet again and folds his fingers together. "Here's how this is going to work. Miss Punjam has 72 hours to file charges against you. If she doesn't in that time period, then you are allowed to leave. Whichever way, we will continue to search for evidence regarding whether or not it was you. Of course, if Miss Punjam _does_ file charges, then you will be given a trial and your guilt or innocence will be determined by evidence."

With that, the recorder is shut off.

* * *

"Okay…You're the Tooth Fairy. Nicholas is Santa Claus. Mr. Mansnoozie is the Sandman, and Aster is the Easter Bunny?"

Tooth nodded in confirmation and took another bite of her croissant. They were sitting in _Ambrosia,_ Burgess' bakery/patisserie, the one with the macarons that Tooth adored. For the otherwise rustic town, _Ambrosia_ was particularly elegant, with warm browns and whites and silvers. Nevertheless, it still had a sort of old-fashioned feel to it. The door had a small bell at the top, the bread was baked within three brick ovens that could be seen from the front, and the furniture was constructed of wood and leather. Children were often found staring at the decadent sweets in the glass display beside the counter. If Tooth had enough spare time, she found herself occasionally sitting at a table, reading a book and sipping on tea. Well, that was if Dem, the owner, wasn't screaming at the workers. That woman was sugar and fire, really.

Diamond twirled her water in her glass as she continued, "And you were all sent here because the Bogeyman—Mr. Kozmotis—erased your memories and turned you into humans. Jamie is the only one that remembers because he went through a magic portal."

"Yeah. And the new guy in town, Jackson, is Jack Frost and he's the one that saved him."

Diamond is stopped from immediately responding when Dem's voice screeches from the kitchens. _"CARMEN! WHERE. ARE. MY. MACARONS?!"_

"Does anyone believe him?"

Tooth clicked her tongue as she evaluated her words. "I honestly don't think anyone believes him, but…well, for one thing, we don't want to upset him. And, it's kind of peculiar how he knows stuff that he shouldn't. Like, I have this birthmark on my arm, right? I always cover it up and Jamie has never seen it. Well, he told me that in the past life, I was cut on the arm, and when he pointed where, it was exactly where my birthmark was."

Diamond's eyes went wide at that, but it took her ten seconds until she swallowed a bite of her Panini and respond. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa."

" _Yeah."_

"Geez…so when—"

" _THERE IS MORE FLOUR ON THE FLOOR THAN IN THE BOWL, DEION."_

"…so when did he start talking about this?"

Tooth picked at a crumb absentmindedly. "Since the day that I met him, I think. It kind of freaked me out—I didn't know _him,_ I only knew _of him,_ but that didn't stop him from hugging me right there."

Diamond shrugged and gave the brunette a coy smile. With a sparkle in her eye, she asked, "So what if he _is_ right?"

"Then I will drop to my knees and apologize for ever doubting him." Tooth said this with a smirk. "But that will never happen because that would be—"

She instantly stopped herself when the bell rang and Miranda Bennett herself walked into the patisserie. The mother of two shivered and shook the flakes of ice from her shoulders. Now, luckily, it didn't turn into the kind of scenario where Tooth _didn't_ notice her and ended up saying something mean about Miranda's son that she overheard. As a matter of fact, Tooth wasn't going to say anything cruel—she was simply going to say "because that would be impossible." Still, even kind words about Jamie piqued Miranda's attention instantaneously. Not that Tooth could blame her. Even the most mature adults could be heard badmouthing "that crazy Bennett boy."

Diamond, who had her back to the front door (the patisserie was designed so that there were two window tables beside the entrance), turned to see what had caused Tooth to stop. When she did, she spun back around fast enough to give herself whiplash.

Miranda greeted Dem at the register and recited her order for a baguette and a few apple tarts. Dem's sugary beam jarringly twisted into a stern frown as she barked to the back, _"MARIE! THE BAGUETTES! HURRY UP!"_ She stormed to the back with her voice still at a high volume. Miranda visibly sighed.

Tooth wasn't going to duck her head, cover her face with one hand, and stare out the window until Miranda left. But, if she was perfectly honest, she did somewhat hope that Miranda wouldn't notice her. Their conversation at the hospital ended on a bit of a sour note. If Miranda _did_ notice her, Tooth expected her to simply look away.

Well, Miranda _did_ notice her, and instead gave the teenager an awkward smile and a wave. Tooth mimicked the gesture stiffly. Diamond, who had met Miranda several times when she dropped Jamie off at for his sessions, gave a much more casual greeting.

To Tooth's surprise, Miranda craned her neck over the counter to see if Dem was coming and approached their table. Tooth sat straighter and glanced down at her chest to see if she had croissant crumbs on her shirt.

Miranda gave the girls another smile, but before she can speak, Dem's voice once again screeches, causing all three of them to flinch. _"I'M NOT DORA THE EXPLORER, MARTIN! I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU PUT THE ÉCLAIRS!"_

Miranda clicked her tongue and plastered a smile on her face. Dem's voice continued to scream in the background. "Good morning, ladies."

The two girls repeated the greeting just as awkwardly.

"So are you two here on your lunch break?"

Diamond nodded, her chandelier earrings swaying at the movement. "Mm-hm. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm just picking up a few things for dinner tonight. You know how much Sophie and Jamie love the food here."

Tooth knew that. She also knew that apple tarts were Jamie's absolute favorite treat, and she wondered whether Miranda chose them intentionally because of that. Probably. Probably not.

Tooth sat upright when Miranda turned to her. "How have you been holding up?"

"I'm fine. Just…still trying to wrap my head around everything. The police don't know enough yet, but even if it does turn out to be Rhys, it's not like I can afford to press charges, you know?"

Miranda's look was one of sympathy, which Tooth was not at all used to seeing. "Yeah, I know. I can't really help out with money, but I have a friend who's a lawyer. Maybe I can ask her to help out?"

Tooth almost stuttered. That was a first. Before Miranda visited her at the hospital, she and Tooth scarcely spoke to each other. When they did, it was either about Tooth encouraging Jamie's ideas or slightly bitter small talk. Maybe she was exaggerating this. It was the decent thing to do, right? Miranda was offering assistance, not a million dollars. "That would be great. Thank you."

"What's going on with you?" asked Diamond. "How are things at the post office?"

Miranda rolled her chocolate brown eyes with a sigh. "Boring as ever. But the other day, I was taking care of the packages, and one of them started vibrating like crazy. It was for Nicholas, so I called him…"

Tooth's mind drowned out Miranda's words as her eyes focused on the brunet sitting at a far table. She, Diamond, and Miranda weren't the only people in the patisserie. She spotted a few other students from the college, a child or two, and others. Some were eating lunch, some were snacking on treats, and others were reading or using computers as they drank either tea or coffee. But it was the brunet, the one with the cobalt hoodie and pale skin, that she was focusing on.

She glanced between Jackson and Miranda as she chewed on her lower lip. Neither had noticed the other, but if either one of them turned around, they would. She doubted Jackson would start a conversation—Tooth didn't know him very well at all, but she knew that he _really_ _didn't_ want to anger Miranda. It was her that Tooth wasn't sure about. Maybe she would notice him and pretend that she hadn't. Maybe she'd apologize. Maybe she'd once again remind him that he was to stay away from her son at all costs.

"Well, I'll see you two later." Tooth's head instantly snapped back to Miranda. "Tooth, I'll talk to that friend of mine tonight, okay? Have a nice day."

Diamond told a polite goodbye, but Tooth was too busy holding her breath. Miranda headed back to the counter and took her paper bag of goods. She thanked Dem and turned to the doors with her eyes on her wristwatch. She never took notice of Jackson, and it seemed that he never took notice of her.

She let out a sigh of relief. No sooner did she do that than Jackson stood from his seat to toss his napkin into the trash bin. He caught sight of her, looking somewhat surprised, and she waved to him. "Hey."

"Hi." He walked to their table with a somewhat crooked grin on his face. He turned to Diamond with his eyes narrowed thoughtfully and raised a finger. "Um…I know it's some kind of gemstone. Ruby?"

"Diamond." She extended a hand to him, her skin peachy compared to Jackson's. "And you are Jackson. I've heard talk about you."

Jackson crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at the ceiling with a faux look of concentration. With a click of a tongue, he mused, "Let me think who could have possibly been talking about me."

"Him. And Tooth."

Tooth immediately waved her hands and shook her head. Way to throw her under the bus! "Only in passing, I swear."

Jackson and Diamond both chuckled at her embarrassment. Tooth giggled herself but nevertheless tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Why the heck was she getting shy around the guy whose mouth she had pried open to observe his teeth?

Their giggling came to an abrupt stop when Dem's voice once again sounded from the back. _"WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH FLOUR ON YOU? YOU LOOK LIKE THE PILLSBURY DOUGH BOY."_

The three of them exchanged small talk, nothing more than friendly chitchat. Jackson updated them on working with Aster (they were apparently still on 'okay at best' terms), they discussed Tooth's situation with Rhys, Diamond's issues at the office, and other little things such as that. Eventually, however, Diamond announced that it was time to head back to the college.

As Diamond and Tooth were heading for the car, the door to Ambrosia opened. "Tooth! Wait a second!"

Tooth turned to face Jackson as he trotted to her. He extended a tin box to her, and judging by the picture on the front—Santa Claus, in a circle of holly, smiling at her with rosy red cheeks and bright blue eyes—it was from Nicholas. She curiously popped the lid off to peek inside. There was a small pile of cookies, each one about as big as her hand. She sighed. Nicholas was an excellent cook, but gosh if he didn't make excessive quantities of food.

"Wonderful," Tooth smiled up at Jackson and tucked the box underneath her arm. "I'll just put this with the other forty-six."

Jackson chuckled at that, but Tooth's smile faltered. "That's not an exaggeration."

His smile fell in place of a frown and a raised eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wow."

"Hmm…"

Tooth nodded to Jackson's hoodie. The blue fabric faded at the cuffs and neck, and the hood was a light gray. She was used to seeing the teenager in browns and grays, and frankly, it looked somewhat familiar to her. "What's with the hoodie?"

Jackson clicked his tongue and stretched it out by the hem. It fit pretty snuggly on his frame, so it didn't move very much. "A little birdie told me to get something like this via paper."

"Already? He's more interested in you than I thought…"

Jackson cocked his head to the side. She had to have heard about the—what, four?—times that Jamie had snuck away to see him, much to his mother's fury. "Really?"

"Well…" Tooth cleared her throat inelegantly and gestured a small finger to the multicolored pieces of her hair. "I was going to get my hair streaked to begin with, but Jamie told me to get these colors."

Jackson only hummed again. Gosh, Tooth hated getting into these situations, where she didn't know what to say. Wait, why did she need to say anything? She had to go back—

"Do you really think that Rhys did it?"

Tooth subconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. With a made a sort of frustrated growl at the back of her throat. "I don't know. I mean, he _had_ my pendant. But why would he steal it? We just had an actual conversation yesterday. And why would he point the finger at Mr. Kozmotis? Did he blackmail him to do it? Does Rhys have something against him? I just…I'm going to let the police figure all of this out before I come to anything."

Jackson's eyebrow quirked up again. "What did you guys talk about?"

"All things considered, it was kind of…weird. He asked me if my pendant was the only thing that was stolen…maybe he was just trying to make himself come off as innocent…then he asked me if I believed any of Jamie's stories."

"Jamie's stories?"

"Tooth!" Diamond's pale blonde head poked up over the hood of the car to call to her friend. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just a second," replied Tooth. She turned back to Jackson. "Yeah. I don't know why, and he walked off before I could say anything. Anyways, I'll talk to you later, okay? I need to get going."

Jackson waved goodbye to her as she bounded off for the car. Still, all he could muster was a momentary smirk.

None of this was piecing together. Rhys stole Tooth's pendant, supposedly. Then he shifted the focus to Mr. Kozmotis. Why? Plus, instead of telling the police, he told him, Nicholas, and Aster…And then he talked to Tooth about it, for reasons unknown. Jamie's stories had no place in this, he was sure, but then why did he bring it up, anyway? His head was hurting just thinking about all of this. Maybe Nicholas would figure this out.

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

"I can't."

"It's easy!" Jamie pushed forward once again, gliding across the ice with his arms extended beside him. The blades of the skates made soft scratching sounds on the surface. He completed a full circle, then a figure eight, all while glancing to the stands at the Guardian who watched him with unsure eyes. "It's like walking without picking up your feet!"

Toothiana continued to frown as she watched Jamie. With some begging from Jamie, Toothiana phasing through the walls to investigate possible security officials, and unlocking the door, they had entered the Crockett ice rink. It was a large area, more than forty feet long, surrounded by walls of plastic and empty stands. The ice shimmered underneath the heavy lights, and the only sound to be heard was that of the blades on the ice. It was strangely relaxing, if not a bit eerie.

It would probably be more relaxing if Toothiana wasn't being pressured by Jamie to join him. Toothiana had no problem with walking—it wasn't as if Jamie was being rude or inconsiderate. It's just that, when you spend days upon weeks upon months upon years without your feet ever touching the ground, you kind of get used to the feeling of your legs dangling limply underneath you. And, to be utterly honest, Toothiana has never gone ice-skating a day in her life. There was no such thing when she wasn't a Guardian and she had reasons to never do it later.

"Come on, I'll help you."

She had hardly noticed Jack walk up to her with a pair of small white skates in one hand. Large amethyst eyes glanced between the bladed boots and the white-haired boy holding them. With one hand at her chin, Toothiana slowly murmured, "I don't know…"

Jack chuckled, but his voice was surprisingly comforting when he said, "I won't let you fall."

He flippantly gestured to one of the seats with his free hand. Toothiana hesitated for one more moment, but finally gave in with a sort of committal groan. Gosh darn Jack and his baby blue puppy dog eyes…!

She sat down, her wings fluttering to a stop and resting against her back. Jack knelt before her and helped her place her feet into the skates, and both of them realize just how small her feet were. He laced them up, too, which was unnecessary but sweet. Finally, he held out his hands to her, pale and thin. She held up her hands, paused to glance up at him and catch his reassuring smirk, and placed her palms in his. Even her hands were incredibly little.

Toothiana took a deep breath and pushed herself forward, fell back down when her legs didn't respond, and pushed herself forward again. For a second, they awkwardly stood there with their hands together and her knees buckled. With some soft instructions from Jack, she straightened her legs until she had found her center of gravity. One wobbly step after another, they made their way to the rink.

Jack glided backwards and pulled the fairy with him. Once they were on the ice, he stood behind her held up her forearms, the feathers so soft and delicate he was surprised that they didn't fall from her skin when touched.

"Okay, like Jamie said—it's like walking without picking up your feet. So just push one foot forward with me. One, two, three…"

Jack's bare foot slid forward easily, but Toothiana didn't fare so well. She pushed a little too hard, and her foot pushed out from underneath her. She squeaked at the same time that Jack's hands went underneath her arms to keep her upright. Several times, Tooth attempted to get back on balance, only for her feet to betray her. They buckled and crossed and spread, and at one point, she would have done a split if Jack's hands didn't catch hers at the last second. All the while, Jamie sat cross-legged on the ice, trying not to choke on his own laughter.

Eventually, Jack sternly commanded, _"Stop."_ The Tooth Fairy did as she was told and froze with both legs crossed at the knees. Jack lifted her to her feet and ever-so-slowly pulled away. He sighed in relief when she didn't collapse instantaneously.

He positioned himself so that his chest was almost against her wings. He placed one pale hand on her side and took her hand with the other. Toothiana's belly swarmed with butterflies, and she felt her muscles tighten. Jack, meanwhile, was awkwardly shifting about, trying to keep himself from awkwardly clearing his throat while also trying not to press against her wings or get his feet tangled in her tail feathers.

"Okay, now I'm going to lead you. Slow and steady."

Toothiana nodded and her head feathers brushing against the cold fabric of his hoodie. Jack's bare foot slid forward again, and with a little push on her side, Toothiana copied his movements. She managed not to flail this time, so Jack repeated the movement with his other foot. They soon managed a rhythm with their feet. Right foot, pause, left foot, pause, right foot again. Jack's hold on her became looser and he began to fall back bit by bit. Toothiana was shortly skating on her own, but with Jack beside her and close enough to catch her if she faltered.

"You got it?"

"Yeah," she laughed. When the corner of the rink approached, she took one long stride at the turn. She smiled at Jack with a look that just screamed 'Did you see that?!' Then her thrilled grin fell to a confused one, and as her large eyes flickered from Jack to the ice, she questioned, "How are you doing that?"

Jack was skating backwards—heck, he wasn't even skating, he was as barefoot as ever—with such ease and effortlessness it looked secondhand to him. With his staff left in the stands, he had both of his hands stuffed into the pocket of his hoodie. But he only stared back at her with a bemused grin. "Doing what?"

"That!" Tooth nodded to his feet.

Jack held up his hands defensively. "This is just natural to me."

"Skating barefoot backwards on ice without looking behind you is natural?" Tooth said this with what could have been a raised eyebrow, if she had any.

"Mm-hm. And so is this…"

He span around on the ice, hands still in his hoodie pocket, and lifted one foot from the ice. He glided like this for a moment, glancing back at Toothiana to see her still observing him. Suddenly, he jumped into the air, spinning like a top, and landed back down on one foot a moment later. He winked at Toothiana with a smirk.

Toothiana was impressed, undoubtedly, but still called, "Showoff!"

Jamie slid up to her then with a hand held out for her. Toothiana curtsied to him, giggling as she took his hand in hers. They were like that for a time—Jamie and Toothiana skating hand-in-hand as Jack went around and around the rink, doing expert tricks with incredible ease. Jamie and Toothiana lightheartedly scolded Jack when he swept a bit too closely by them. When Toothiana successfully circled around Jamie with one hand in his, Jack cheered from the other side of the rink. Toothiana's skate unfortunately hit a small patch of dry ice, but just as she tumbled forward, Jack skimmed in at the last second and caught her hands.

Jack laughed as she straightened herself. As he pulled her with him, he reminded her in a low voice, "I told you I wouldn't let you fall."

Toothiana smiled back at him a bit shyly. Not a moment after their strides fell in line, a voice, far too deep to be Jamie's, called out, "Hey, kid! What are you doing here?!"

All three of them immediately stopped their skating and turned to the entrance of the building. They could make out a silhouette and a flashlight, and they heard the faint jingle of keys.

Jack leaned closer to Toothiana to whisper, "I thought you said there weren't any security guards?"

"There wasn't…in here."

The guard began to shuffle down the steps, approaching the rink. "How did you get in?! Where are your parents?!"

Of course, being an adult, he couldn't see Jack or Toothiana—all he saw was Jamie staring up at him like a deer caught in headlights. Jack's eyes momentarily flickered from the guard to his staff, resting in the stands. He murmured instructions to Toothiana, who nodded without ever taking her eyes off of the approaching guard.

The guard made a sound that was something of a cross between a gasp and a "Huh?" The boy that had just been on the ice was suddenly _flying in the air._ All he couldwas gawk as the kid levitated from the ice like something straight out of a horror movie. His body was sideways and his legs were bent as if he were being carried—which he was. Although the guard couldn't see it, Toothiana was carrying Jamie in her arms as she flew for the other exit. Meanwhile, Jack had shot across the ice to the edge of the rink.

By the time the guard gathered his senses and ran forward, Toothiana had set Jamie down and knelt before the door.

_Uh-oh,_ she thought. This door wasn't like the other one, with a piece of metal that she could just turn. This one required a key, something that she didn't have.

"Toooooooooth…" Jamie patted her shoulder in a 'hurry up!' gesture. His head turned from her to the guard so fast that it was a surprise he didn't get whiplash. The guard was now in one of the little strip of walkway between the two halves of the stands.

He wasn't there for long, however. Jack had already gotten his staff, and while remaining entirely unseen, he had landed in front of him. Jack smirked as he wound up his staff like a baseball bat and swung it. The guard let out a strangled cry as he was suddenly thrown into the rink. He slid across the surface like a fallen bug, his arms and legs wiggling. Jamie snorted a laugh in the midst of his panic. Toothiana, meanwhile, was trying to press her weight against the knob in an attempt to break it off.

Jack glided over to the guard and knelt next to him as he tried to pull himself to his feet. His fingers passed through the man's clothes and flesh, but they touched the ring of keys at his hip. The guard momentarily stopped his flailing to goggle at the keys as they levitated from his body. Jack turned to go back through the exit, but stopped with a grin on his face. He turned back to the man, who was now crouched down, attempting to stand. Jack tapped the end of his staff on the ice, and blue frost shot out like veins. They went underneath the man, and before he knew it, the guard was going left and right across the rink, spinning and zigzagging.

Jack laughed loudly as he leapt to the others. He tapped Toothiana (who had both her feet against the door as she tried to pull the knob off) on the shoulder and jingled the keys in front of her. Toothiana's wings came to life once again as she stepped back. Jack knelt in front of the knob and began to put key after key into the lock. "No…No…not that one…I bet it's this—nope, not that one, either…"

Jamie and Toothiana both grew anxious as they turned back to the guard. The little trick that Jack had played on him had worn off, and he was crawling for the exit on the other side of the rink. He pulled himself to his feet and darted towards them, red-faced and seething. "Jaaaaaack…" both of them whined.

When the guard was only fifteen steps away from them, Jack finally found the right key and turned the lock. In an instant, Jack had thrown the door open and Toothiana had picked up Jamie once again.

The guard skidded to halt as the boy went flying into the night. He stared in awe as the boy lifted higher and higher into the air, his silhouette lined in moonlight, giggling and laughing and never looking back at him. Meanwhile, Toothiana, Jack, and Jamie were laughing themselves senseless, and Toothiana sputtered out, "I can't believe we just did that!"

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	14. Scrutiny P3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery seems to close to an end, as did Toothiana, Jack, and Jamie's night out.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

Also, something to know about this timeline/universe: the story takes place after the film _Rise of the Guardians,_ but some of the backstory is from the _Guardians of Childhood_ series. However, the _Jack Frost_ book will NOT be part of the story, as it would somewhat contradict with the timeline.

**THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S** _**THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD** _ **HE OWNS THE CHARACTERS AND SERIES, NOT ME!**

* * *

"Alright." Nicholas leaned forward onto the wooden table, his large knuckles pressed against the surface. Shadows were cast across his face as he rumbled, "I know you are all wondering why I have called you in here."

"Yeah, because you refused to tell us over the phone," Aster grumbled into the lip of his coffee mug. Sanderson nodded in agreement.

"Over this week, the mystery of Tooth's assault and theft has been…well, a mystery. But now it's time to put pieces together." Nicholas stood straight and gestured behind him. "Look to the board, please."

In response, the three men leaned forward, their eyes narrowed. Jackson cleared his throat and pointed out, "Um, we can't see it."

"It's too dark in here, mate. Turn the light on."

Nicholas rolled his eyes immaturely and swiped his hand across the light switch. The room lit up instantly, showing that instead of an ominous surrounding for a secretive meeting, they were really just crammed into the backroom of the Santoff Claussen and seated around a plastic table in metal chairs.

Nicholas pulled the board closer. It was covered in scraps of paper from people's names to locations to times. As he spoke, Nicholas pulled several balls of yarn from his pockets, yellow, blue, green, and purple. "Just to summarize what has _apparently_ happened: Rhys broke into Tooth's home to steal her pendant, and then shifted focus to Mr. Kozmotis instead, but was found with the pendant anyway."

"And?" inquired Aster. "What's new?"

"There is more to this than what everyone is seeing," Nicholas declared. He picked up the purple yarn and cut off a length of it with a pair of scissors. He attached one end to a thumbtack at Rhys' name and attached the other end to Jamie's name. "Something about Jamie's stories has caught Rhys' attention. He asked Tooth about them at the diner."

Aster drummed his fingers on the table. "Alright…that's new, but how is that connected to anything?"

"It may not be," said Nicholas, "but it's interesting, considering that, to my knowledge, Jamie hasn't talked to Rhys about 'past' before. But onto obvious…there's also something between Rhys and Kozmotis that we don't know of." He stopped here to attach a green string between Rhys and Mr. Kozmotis's names. "Which brings questions—why did Rhys want _Kozmotis_ to be caught? Why did he tell _us_ first? What did Kozmotis do to Rhys that made them enemies?" He pointed a finger into the air. "That is, if Rhys is guilty, which I don't think he is. He could still be framed."

Jackson raised a hand to point out, "And if it really _was_ Mr. Kozmotis, then how did Rhys know and how did Mr. Kozmotis get the pendant to him? It's kind of obvious that they're not working together."

Sanderson jotted down a note as quickly as he could, and gave it to Jackson to read aloud. "' _Maybe Rhys told_ _us_ _because he knows how much we're with Jamie? I know it's a bit of a stretch, but if he's interested in the story, then he has to know how much Jamie focuses on us, right?'"_

Nicholas nodded thoughtfully and added another purple string to the board. "That's not out of the question, certainly."

"Alright," sighed Aster. "I still think we need to just let the cops handle this, but I'll bite. Kozmotis was in his bank at about the same time that Tooth was in the diner talking to Rhys, right? I went to go talk to Mr. Q to see how long Rhys was there, and he said that it was several hours before he finally went home, and Kozmotis never showed. The police came in to talk to Rhys just a little after that and then found the pendant with Rhys, so…"

When all he got was silence, Aster sighed and stated, "There's someone else involved."

Nicholas span around to look the board up and down, left and right. "What?! _How—?!"_

"Kozmotis couldn't have planted the pendant on Rhys, so someone else had to have done it."

Nicholas tugged at the locks of his beard and groaned, "So Kozmotis either hired someone to do it, or someone stole it and planted it on Rhys."

"Which means that either A) Kozmotis and Rhys are enemies, or B) someone else has it out for Rhys," Jack concluded. He took a great gulp of coffee before he murmured, "This went from 'complicated' to 'incomprehensible.'"

_We should just tell the police,_ signed Sanderson.

"But then _who_?!" Nicholas approached the board as if he planned to toss it on its side. "We know EVERYONE in this town! Who would have it out for Rhys or would help Kozmotis? Why do they want to pendant to begin with? WHERE DOES JAMIE FIT INTO THIS?!"

"Look, look, look." Jackson stood up and approached the board. He removed the strings and scraps that revolved around Jamie's mystery and the pendant's image, despite Nicholas's whines of protest. "Let's tackle one thing at a time. Someone is either helping Mr. Kozmotis frame Rhys, or has something out for Rhys themselves."

_How do we find out, though?_ asked Sanderson.

"We ask."

"Rhys?" inquired Nicholas.

"Nope."

* * *

"Finally here to set up your account?"

Jackson remained silent as he walked up to the counter. Mr. Kozmotis raised a thin brow at him, but shrugged and said, "Well, I suppose I would have gotten this visit sooner or later. What can I do for you, Jackson? I just put a pot of coffee on, if you're interested."

"You're involved with what happened with Rhys and the pendant." Jack stated this factually and gave Mr. Kozmotis no time to intervene. "There's no point in denying it, because it's pretty obvious. What I want to know is how."

Mr. Kozmotis's thin eyebrows rose either at Jackson's bluntness or his bravery. He stood up from his chair and switched his desk lamp off at the same time. "The relationship between Rhys Archer and I is definitely not a friendship, but I assure you I did not set him up for the crime, if that's what you're implying."

"Then how did the pendant get to him?"

Mr. Kozmotis's narrowed his golden eyes and put a crooked finger to his chin. His voice was mockingly speculative when he said, "Maybe…and this is just a guess, but _just maybe,_ he stole it?"

"He didn't. And you know that."

"You're assuming that I know everything about this situation."

"You definitely know something."

"I know that you have no place to interrogate me. Do you have any _proof_ that I am involved? Any solid evidence whatsoever?"

For a moment, Jackson faltered. They didn't really have any physical evidence that Mr. Kozmotis was involved. Everything they had figured out was pure assumption so far, or on one eyewitness account. Then, he stood straighter and tried to sound as intimidating as possible as he said, "Rhys wanted attention to be drawn to you, so you're involved somehow."

" _Or,"_ drawled Mr. Kozmotis, "as we have already established, Rhys and I have a negative relationship and he simply wanted to spite me?" He sighed and dragged a long hand along the countertop as he said, "It seems to me, Jackson, that you are assuming that since I'm 'not very popular', then I must be guilty—a mindset that Nicholas gave you, no? Appearances can be deceiving, Jackson, and it's about time that you learned that."

Jackson set his jaw and turned to Mr. Kozmotis when the pale man turned to disappear into the back of the bank. "So you are swearing that you have nothing to do with Rhys and the pendant, and that you didn't hire someone to plant the pendant on him?"

"Yes. Is there any other summarizing you would like to get out of the way?"

"That doesn't answer why Rhys saw your car that night."

Mr. Kozmotis turned away from him. A smirk pulled at his lips as he declared, "You will also learn, during your stay in Burgess, that maybe you should just keep to yourself. For your own good."

"Is that a threat?"

"That's a warning."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

Another yawn came from Jamie's mouth, which he tried his best to muffle. However, Jack noticed it regardless and sighed, "Alright, trooper, it's time to take you home."

"I'm not tired."

"That's the third time you've yawned in the last thirty seconds. Yes, you are."

Jamie simply hummed and said nothing further. After another hour or so of just strolling through the towns and the forests, fatigue had finally caught the young boy's body. Jack and Toothiana were side-by-side—Jack holding Jamie all the while. Jack was jumping gaps and balancing over telephone lines, as he always did, while Toothiana fluttered beside him.

They finally came to Jamie's windowsill, and Toothiana made a point of passing through the wall into the boy's room. Jack, meanwhile, was left to nudge the window open with his staff and then crawl in with difficulty. His blue eyes playfully glared at the Tooth Fairy for just a moment before he moved to Jamie's bed. Jamie squirmed, kicking off his shoes and crawling underneath the blanket.

"Bye, Jamie," whispered Jack.

"It was fun," Toothiana said with a smile.

Jamie's reply to them was a simple sleepy murmur into his pillow. Toothiana and Jack both exited soon after, quietly as possible. Jack easily swung up onto the icy roof of the Bennett house, and as she followed him closely, she asked, "Do you two always do this?"

He put his staff across his shoulders and raised a brow at her. "Do what?"

She shrugged and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sneak out and skate, or explore, or whatever else you decide to do."

"Sometimes." He gave her his signature lopsided grin and teased, "What, are you interesting in tagging along next time?"

She rolled her violet eyes, but smirked at him regardless. "Noooo. Well, maybe. But I'm just curious, mostly. You and Jamie are so close."

He frowned then and began to walk backwards so he could face her better. "How come you and the others' job is to protect children, but you never do anything with them?"

"Oh, there are several reasons." She held her small hands together behind her back, and her gaze on the night sky turned thoughtful. "Work, for one thing. Even now, I'll probably have a lot of work to catch up on. Did you know a child loses a tooth every ten seconds? Anyway, North and Bunny have to work on their holidays, and Sandy and I have to work nightly. There's just no time."

"You made time for Jamie and me."

"I believe you _asked_ me to? Remember? I mean that we can't leave our jobs on a regular basis. Work piles up. The Christmas of 1789 was a _disaster._ "

Jack nodded in understanding. "Okay, but if you can do it _sometimes,_ why don't you?"

Toothiana held up one finger. "Firstly, once you 'engage' a child, it's hard to leave. They will scream and cry for you not to go." Another finger was raised. "Secondly, it causes commotion. They scream for their parents and tell their friends, and it usually doesn't turn out well. Honestly, your relationship with Jamie is surprising."

"So you guys have _never_ had actual relationships with children?"

"Of course we have. It was when we had just become Guardians." A nostalgic smiled graced her lips as she continued, "We _loved_ being with children. Making them happy, filling their lives with hope and wonder and dreams…" She sighed. "But, years turned into decades, generations passed, and we got more popular. Work became time-consuming."

"Sorry. Sounds like you miss the heyday, huh?"

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to go back…" Her fingers came together, and she stared down at them a moment before raising her eyes to him. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"What we saw today. What do you think it means? Because, if I'm perfectly honest here, I'm kind of scared."

He had honestly pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Admittedly, Jack was a very "don't worry about it if you're better off not" person. He was concerned, of course, but he was just going to wait until he got a confirmation from the others before he began to legitimately worry.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait until they get back."

Toothiana nodded slowly, but stopped suddenly and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. He followed her pointing finger to the sky above, and was surprised to find the waves of blue, pink, and green light rippling through the clouds. He turned to the Tooth Fairy, and they both shared a nod before Jack summoned the Wind to take them to the North Pole.

* * *

"…I know it's odd, considering…"

"…I just wasn't expecting you to…"

"…know, but it's the…"

Jamie sighed as he crossed his legs for probably the sixteenth time. His mother and her lawyer-friend were speaking to each other over the counter regarding Tooth's case with Rhys. Jamie had been pleasantly surprised when he heard that she was offering her help, especially to the girl that she hadn't exactly liked before, but decided against thanking her. Talking to her was like walking on a minefield, as of late. One wrong step and BOOM!

He reached for the magazine on the table and flipped through it in boredom, not really reading as much as looking at the pictures for anything interesting. Sophie was on the uncomfortable chair beside him. If Jamie was bored, Sophie was absolutely _dying._ She was squirming and fidgeting uncontrollably, and every now and then, she'd let out a whine or whimper.

Finally, Miranda turned around to Jamie, and held out her car keys to him. The Empire State Building keychain swung from the metal loop. "Go ahead and take Sophie to the car, sweetie."

Jamie took the keys, and when he turned around, he saw that Sophie was already at the door, bouncing on her heels. Jamie held the door open for her, and did so again with the van's door. Sophie was surprisingly cooperative as he strapped her into her car seat. Jamie pulled the van door shut at the same time that Sophie reached for her Etch-a-Sketch board.

Jamie went to round the car to his side, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the car parked across the street. It was a faded lime green color, a bit outdated, the windows rimmed in white. It was the same car that he'd seen at the playground.

Someone was watching him. Or Sophie…or Miranda. Or someone else enti—okay, _someone_ was being watched! And, for just a moment, Jamie wanted to cry with frustration. He couldn't tell anyone! His mother would be infuriated if he told her, probably blame him for trying to get attention. If he told the police, Miranda would eventually hear about it. _WHY_ can't he catch a _BREAK?!_

"Jamie? Sweetie, let's go."

Jamie turned to Miranda, who was standing expectantly at the driver's door. With a sigh, he turned, his head ducked down.

_Useless. Always useless._

* * *

After finishing her classes for the day, Tooth picked B.T. up from Burgess Elementary and drove to the Santoff Claussen to drop her off with Aster for the day. The moment that they entered the toy shop, B.T. took off for the collections of babushka dolls that Nicholas carved and painted himself. Tooth, meanwhile, was immediately called to the counter to discuss what she would be doing about Rhys.

"So…there was someone else involved?" she asked this apologetically, with one hand wrapped around the handle of her mug of tea (she _hated_ coffee, and Nicholas made a point of always having tea as an alternative for her). "How?"

"We don't know!" Nicholas threw his arms into the air dramatically. "We. Know. Nothing! Every time we come close, something else is thrown at us." He pointed an accusing finger at his stomach and growled, "And THIS is sending me mixed signals."

Aster placed a callused hand on Tooth's shoulder. "Listen, sheila. If I were you, I would wait until tomorrow to talk to the police about it. I'll go with you, if you want."

Tooth ran her finger around the lip of her mug. "When did things get so complicated around here?"

"Tell me about it," grumbled Nicholas. "I'm still keeping eye on Kozmotis. I never trusted that man."

"So I guess that's that, huh? Wait until tomorrow to figure it all out?" Aster stood straight and said, "This entire week has been a disaster."

"I guess I should go ahead and call Miranda so she can go ahead and tell her lawyer-friend." Tooth reached down to her pocket for her cellphone, but stopped, her eyebrows furrowing. "Did we ever find out whyMr. Kozmotis was in the woods that night?"

"No," growled Nicholas. He reached underneath the counter for something, and pulled it up to look at it. Tooth's face wrinkled in confusion. It looked like a collage of names, dates, locations…"Nor did we find out why Rhys told us about it before telling police…And when didn't find out why he asked about Jamie, either, or why Kozmotis and Rhys are enemies, and I don't think we'll ever know now…"

Tooth threw up her hands. "I just want to forget this ever happened." With a glance at her cellphone for the time, she sighed, "I need to get going."

Aster turned away and clapped his hands. "Alright, B.T., let's go." The little girl allowed for him to pick her up from the floor, and the two of them waved goodbye as they left the store.

Tooth bent down to pick her bag up from the floor. "See you later, Nicholas."

Nicholas waved her goodbye with one hand and picked up her mug with the other. As he made his way to the back of Santoff Claussen, he scowled down at his belly, hissing, "I trusted you!"

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

A few hours ago, everything was great. Jack, Toothiana, and Jamie were having fun. Jamie was cheering for them during the race. Jack was teaching Toothiana how to ice-skate. They were laughing as the guard tried to chase them. Everything had been so casual and easy that Jack had completely forgotten about the Man in the Moon's message.

And now, everything seemed…dull.

It was almost as if the colors around him had become muted. The lights on the Globe weren't shimmering anymore. The toys that whizzed through the air were like drifting leaves now. Even Toothiana, whose feathers and wings seemed vibrant in any light, now looked black-and-white.

Jack didn't know what Nicholas was going to tell them, but he didn't think that it was going to be… _that._ Every word had wrapped around his chest like a boa constrictor until he couldn't breathe. Everything he'd been told felt like nonsense, not reality. They'll be taken to a new world. Sandy will stay behind. Jamie must come, too. But nothing else.

His voice was flat and slow as he said, "So what are you going to do?"

Toothiana's arms tightened around her chest as she quietly replied, "I guess I'll go back to the Tooth Palace and…tell the girls…"

Her face, for just a small second, fell, and Jack had the feeling that she was going to cry. Jack knew that the Mini Fairies were, essentially, extensions of Toothiana, linked together telepathically. But Jack always felt that Toothiana saw them more of daughters than of copies of herself or even as workers. But she was going to have to leave all of them behind—all of them, even Baby Tooth. And that wasn't even considering that they would live or not.

"I'm sorry."

Her face relaxed as she lifted her head up. Obviously, she was trying to tell herself to keep composed. "It's not your fault. I just…" _Don't understand why PITCH is being saved._ "…don't understand."

"Do you need help with anything?"

"No, I'll be fine. What about you?"

"Same."

They stopped before the great wooden door that led to the exiting ice tunnel of the workshop. Toothiana turned to him with a smile that did not at all reach her amethyst eyes. "Thank you for tonight."

"Yeah," was all he could bring himself to say.

She grasped the brass handle and pulled the door open with a great creak but surprising ease. Cold air wafted around them immediately, and Jack could hear the wind whistling through the tunnel. Toothiana's head turned towards him just the slightest bit, as if she were going to say something else, but never did. Instead, she flew into the tunnel, the sound of her beating wings immediately swallowed by the howling wind.

When she left, Jack was hit with the cold realization that he was now alone. Bunnymund needed to tend to his Warren, including his Eggs and his Sentinels. Sandy was undoubtedly going to continue his job for as long as he could. Heaven knows that North had his hands full. And Jamie was asleep. Jack was alone, with no one to talk to, with no one to comfort him.

Again.

And he hated it.

* * *

Burgess was falling asleep.

After hours of working on new woodworks, Nicholas removed his safety goggles and dusted the sawdust from his clothes. He stumbled from the Santoff Claussen to his cabin with his eyes drooping heavily. When he finally got to his bedroom, he kicked off his heavy boots and moved to get his pajamas from his drawers, but instead fell on the bed with a great THUMP! He was out like a light within seconds.

Sanderson was already asleep at the front desk of his hotel in a bout of narcoleptic slumber. He jolted up from his desk and ran a hand down his face as he laughed silently. He flicked his desk lamp off and made his way to the back, where his bedroom awaited.

Rhys lazily dangled one arm off the side of his temporary bed. In his cell, he was given one thin blanket and one flat pillow. His eyes were trained up at the ceiling with no intention of closing anytime soon. The guard snored loudly on the other side of the bars. Tomorrow, Rhys would find out if he would be charged for his 'crime' or not.

Tooth and B.T. were curled asleep in B.T.'s bed, with the young sister's head resting against the elder's neck. Whereas B.T. was in her cow pajamas and comfortably tucked in, Tooth was still dressed in her sweater, jeans, and even her sneakers. As evidenced from the book held loosely in her hand, she had intended to simply read her sister a bedtime story, but was caught by slumber as well.

Mr. Kozmotis stood at the window of his bedroom, his pale form cocooned in moonlight. His dark eyes stared up at the moon as if he were looking for something not to be found. For once, his face held no glower or sneer—it was completely serene.

Aster collapsed onto his futon with a sigh. His gray hair was disheveled and after his emotional and physical strain of the day, his limbs felt like they had sandbags tied to them. The empty hum of the air conditioner was what lulled him to sleep.

Jackson closed his laptop shut and ran his hands down his face. He tucked the device underneath his bed and kicked back the blankets of his bed. As he reached for his lamp, he looked to the corner of the room. The wooden staff with the G-shaped hook was propped against the wall. He smiled weakly, turned the light off, and fell against his pillows.

Jamie leaned back from his desk to observe his picture. There were no compilations of Mini Fairy designs, no Easter Egg decorations, no comical images of yetis—just him and the Guardians. Toothiana, North, Bunnymund, Sandy, Jack, and Jamie himself, all lined up. There wasn't much detail to it, no shading or bold lines. They were safe and happy, as they should have been. Jamie set his pencil down and crawled into bed. He hoped he wouldn't have nightmares tonight.

But as Burgess fell asleep, something else awakened.

At the corners of the town, deep in the woods, the shadows stirred. They thickened and grew, spider-like fingers clawing outwards, voiceless whispers rising. Slowly but surely, they seeped from their bounds, slithering their way to the residents of Burgess. They leaked through the cracks and crevices of the houses, underneath doors and past windows. The moonlight was bright, but it had no effect on them.

Vines of shadows made their way through Nicholas's cabin. They bled from the floorboards and walls, until they had the oblivious man surrounded. They cocooned him slowly, winding up his legs and around his torso until only his neck up was visible from the blackness. Almost like hands, shadows placed themselves on his head, glittering mutely until their deed was done. They crept back and left him to his slumber. Their job was done.

Sanderson suffered the same fate. As the shadows encased his head, he groaned softly and squirmed just slightly so. The shadows hesitated around him, but continued when they saw it was a simple twitch of slumber.

Not even the Guardian of Dreams could stop them now.

Rhys turned his head when a flash of movement caught his eyes. His breath hitched, and he sat straight up. Formless shapes were filling the room like ink. They wrapped around the guard quickly and glimmered colorlessly around his head.

They seeped through the bars and reached for him, and with nothing else to do, he pressed himself against the wall with his heart hammering against his ribs. They took a hold of his legs first, their grasp like ice, and slowly consumed him. He couldn't fight back—the places touched by the shadows were lifeless now.

But they stopped at his neck. He could feel them trembling at his Adam's apple, as if trying to go forward, but unable to. Slowly, as if in defeat, they backed away from him. As the feeling of his limbs was returned to him, Rhys gasped for air. All he could do was stare after the shadows as they emptied from the station.

Inside B.T.'s bedroom, the lamp's bulb bust out, casting the room in darkness. In a split second, the two girls were jolted awake by the sound, but the shadows pounced on them immediately. They twisted around them furiously, almost squeezing their heads. They were back asleep as the shadows dispersed.

Mr. Kozmotis saw the shadows through his window, and saw them again at the corner of his eye. They were entering his room, coming for him. But he never panicked, never even batted an eye. As they spread across the floor, they split past him like a rock in a river. Mr. Kozmotis watched them push into the cabinets and the drawers, looking for their target. When it was not to be found, they slinked back to where they'd come from. Mr. Kozmotis could almost hear them murmuring, _We're watching you._

Aster's slumbering body stirred when he felt his feet go numb. His torso twisted and his shoulders twitched. The shadows pinned him down instantly, quickly wrapping around his head. When they left, Aster was as still as a corpse.

The shadows hesitated around Jackson. Not because they couldn't affect him—they could, and they would. But they circled around him as if they found him to be a peculiar sight, an anomaly of sorts. They didn't linger on it too long—Jackson's head was wrapped soon enough.

Jamie heard a floorboard in his room creak.

He stood straight in his bed, his eyes peering around the room. All he saw was shadows…that were growing. He blinked hard to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but when he realized that they were coming from me, his blood ran cold. He wanted to scream, but it was as if his voice had been taken from him. As they slinked around his bed, over his blankets, his breathing became labored and fast as he desperately pushed himself against the wall, all while thinking, _NononononoNO._

But the shadows dispersed without ever touching him. Jamie stood still for several minutes, waiting them to come back, but they didn't. He collapsed onto his bed limply. Tears were running down his face, but he wasn't sobbing. Shock was the only thing he could register.

He never thought he'd see true darkness ever again.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


	15. Silver Light P1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In flashbacks, Katherine of Santoff Claussen meets a new friend. In the present, Kate and her friend Nile set off on a mission.

**FLASHBACKS** will be signaled.

**THIS INCLUDES MATERIAL FROM WILLIAM JOYCE'S** _**THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD** _ **HE OWNS THE CHARACTERS AND SERIES, NOT ME!**

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

_I wonder what it would be like to have wings. How big would they have to be to hold your weight? What would they feel like? What would their colors be? If you fly with them, do you have to keep your body level, or can you stay upright? Would your bones have to be hollow, like a bird's? Would the wings be in place of your arms, or would they come from your back? Would—_

"Katherine!"

Katherine was pulled from her reverie by the sound of her name being called from below. She rolled onto her back and pushed herself forward, sliding down a smooth limb of Big Root's canopy. The sentient tree already had the stairs ready for her to descend.

Katherine's shoes patted against the wooden stairs lightly as she entered Big Root's sanctuary. Evidence of magic was everywhere. In some spots, small silver balls hovered in midair without any source of support. A ribbon of colorful light was winding around the room, like a fragment of an Aurora Borealis. A broom was sleeping the floor by itself. A small flower in a porcelain pot was growing and withering rapidly, reviving as a differently designed blossom each time. A snow globe on the mantle had a blizzard of snow whirling around inside despite the globe itself being completely still.

Ombric Shalazar stood between two of his working tables. Three round white disks were on each table, and Katherine watched in fascination as Ombric reached for a pitcher of water, dropping a small amount into a disk. The water leapt up from it, hopping to another disk, and then another, until it was jumping from disk to disk with no sign of stopping.

Ombric was Katherine's "father", so to speak. In truth, both of Katherine's parents had gone, taken by an avalanche when she was a baby. It was Ombric who had found her, took her in as his own, in the town that he himself had created, Santoff Claussen.

He nodded at Katherine when she approached. "There you are. Your friends are outside, waiting for you."

Katherine nodded and quickly ran for her coat. She had just reached the door when Ombric called, "Katherine!"

Katherine turned to him, still stuffing one sleeve on. "Yes?"

"Be careful. The fireflies say that something is wrong with the forest today."

Big Root's door opened for Katherine, and a branch waved her goodbye as she stepped through the threshold. Outside, the setting sun shimmered on Santoff Claussen. Big Root stood in the middle of a small clearing of grass, with the rest of the town surrounding it. Cobblestone streets weaved through wood and stone houses of all sizes, some small and squat, others towering and thin.

Ombric had created Santoff Claussen a few odd centuries ago. The wizard had stumbled upon a meteorite-struck sapling that grew into a grand tree, and when he had discovered the stardust-rich soil of the land, Ombric had decided to create a town where dreams could come true. In Santoff Claussen, the abnormal was normal.

Giant turtle waddling through town? All is well.

Water rising from the ground instead of falling from the sky? No need to worry.

Flowers as big as carriages were sprouting in the dirt? Wouldn't be the first time.

In the clearing before Big Root, several children of Santoff Claussen awaited Katherine. There were the three Williams, Fog, Maria and Caria. The six children were Ombric's current students—they learned several languages of bug, histories of mystical locations, and a few basic principles of inventing.

Tall William waved Katherine over. "Come on, Katherine! We're going into the forest!"

Katherine didn't stop following, but her eyebrows furrowed worriedly. "Ombric said that the forest may have trouble today."

William the Almost Youngest only seemed more excited by that statement. "Then we should go find it!"

Maria piped up, "But the Bear should find it!"

"Then there's no reason to be worried!"

The Williams didn't seem to be taking 'no' for an answer. Tall William led the way, and Fog hung at the back, trudging along with them. The forest around Santoff Claussen was filled with gargantuan trees, some as thick as houses and some tall enough to reach into the clouds. It was one of the rings around Santoff Claussen that Ombric had made to protect the town. The trees would block the cruel and cold, but would permit passage for the good of heart. Now, the trees bent and turned for the children.

"We can't stay out long!" Fog swung from a hanging tree branch and landed roughly on his feet. "It's getting dark out already!"

"Why are we out here, anyway?" inquired Katherine. "Is there something new in the forest?"

The children glanced at one another, as if deciding whether or not to answer her. Finally, William the Absolute Youngest answered, "We haven't seen the Bear today. Maybe he's hurt."

"Wouldn't the Spirit of the Forest help him?"

"We haven't seen her, either! Something's wrong!"

No sooner had he said this than the children suddenly came into a clearing in the forest. Almost immediately, a sense of dread washed over them. Everything had gone eerily still all too quickly, not a bug chirping. Experimentally, Tall William cupped a hand around his mouth and called, "Hello?"

His voice was not answered. Katherine glanced up at the sunlight peeking through the limbs and leaves. It was probably going to be nightfall soon. Nevertheless, the children continued to weave through the forest, calling out for the Bear and the Spirit of the Forest. They were nowhere to be found, and it was only when the last bit of daylight vanished that they decided to turn back.

The Williams were whispering to one another, trying to figure out what had happened to the Bear and the Spirit of the Forest. Meanwhile, Maria and Caria were trying to insist that they should just ask Ombric about it. Fog was paying no mind to anyone and was instead attempting to walk on stones without touching the grass.

Something brushed against Katherine's foot, causing her to instinctively jump. That didn't feel like a small, furry creature. It felt like… _fingers._

Tall William was the only one to notice, and reached out a hand to pull her away from whatever had touched her. "What is it?"

"Something touched my foot!"

The other children slowed down, more curious than afraid. Tall William reached into his coat pocket for a match to light his lamp. Although it wasn't incredibly dark, the forest floor was becoming a bit difficult to see.

Soft orange light spread from the lantern. Tall William held it at arm's length, trying to find whatever had touched Katherine in the dark. Nothing was to be seen…and yet, they could tell that something was there. It was odd, like a sort of flickering at the corners of their eyes that they couldn't actually detect. The children packed closer together. Goosebumps appeared on their skin, their hair standing on end.

Caria let out a squeal, and when the children turned to her, they saw that she was staring upwards.

Shadows were standing against the trees, staring down at the children menacingly. The light from the lamp wasn't at all keeping them at bay—in fact, the light seemed to just make them grow taller.

Heart racing, blood pounding, Katherine turned left and right and realized that they were completely surrounded.

* * *

"Go ahead and pick out something."

Jamie said nothing as he headed for the racks of snack foods. His head felt like mush. After seeing the darkness that had engulfed the town the previous night, his body was too alarmed to go back to sleep. His mother, as per the norm in his grounding, was pulling him around the whole day. He was jumpy and paranoid as he tried to figure out what was wrong. You'd think there'd be something different—different environment, different people, a decline in the population of Burgess—but no, from what he could tell, nothing was different. It was his friends that he was most concerned for—Jackson, Aster, Nicholas, Sanderson, and Tooth. But of course, he couldn't speak to them now.

His eyes grazed over the snack selections. For some reason, the store had the annoying tendency to mix-and-match their items every other day. Okay, candy, dried fruits, potato chips…pretzels. His reached for the single bag of honey-flavored ones, pulling it from the shelf and—

" _WHOA!"_

Jamie jumped back like a startled cat, dropping the bag in the process. On the other side of the shelf, a pair of wide gray eyes stared directly at him.

A soft voice spoke, "Hi."

Jamie didn't know what else to say, so he simply sputtered out, "Hello?"

A pair of hands appeared on top of the shelf, as if they were struggling to peer at him. "You're Jamie, right?"

"Yeah."

"I have a question for you."

"Um…okay?"

"Who am I? In your stories?"

Jamie's eyes narrowed at them. Gray eyes, tanned skin, curls of brown hair…Those, coupled with the voice, made his mind click. "Kate?"

"Yes! Hurry! Who am I?"

Jamie cast a quick glance around him. Who knows how his mother would react if she saw him and Kate talking about this? Luckily, she was nowhere to be found, so he quickly whispered, "I-I think you're Mother Goose, but I'm not sure."

Kate's gray eyes closed shut, and Jamie heard her give a soft "Yesssss…"

"Kate! Come along now!"

Kate quickly ducked away without a goodbye. Jamie watched the top of her head as she met Dr. Thaddeus at the door of the store. Jamie would be seeing him later this week…hopefully. Dr. Thaddeus held the door open for his adoptive daughter.

Jamie is so busy staring at them that he doesn't notice his mother approaching until she asks, "Was that Kate?"

Jamie jumps at her voice. He nods and bends down to pick up the pretzels he had dropped a moment before. "Yeah."

"Oh. What were you talking about?"

And there's the million-dollar question. She knows what they were talking about, and she's upset about it. Because even a thirty-second conversation about it was such a crime. Jamie understands sometimes. It's not alright for him to run off with strangers because of a "fantasy"—given, it wasn't a fantasy to him, but he knew it was to her, and convincing her otherwise was futile. But he didn't understand everything else.

Jamie blatantly lied through his teeth as he said, "School. We were talking about school."

Miranda nodded all too casually. She knows the truth, but she won't risk coming off as paranoid. Always in control.

"So anyway," Jamie said as they approached the register. "When are they going to do the trial?"

Miranda's eyebrows furrowed at him. "Trial?"

"The one you talked to your friend about? Yesterday?"

In the middle of placing her items on the counter, Miranda froze, her hand still resting on a jar of jam. She stared at him in what was clear bewilderment, with something else lying underneath. She blinked slowly, her eyebrows only furrowing more.

Jamie's eyebrows furrowed, too. "The thing with Tooth? And Rhys? I-It's been going on for—"

One more look at Miranda's ever-confused face, and everything clicked.

Jamie's stomach sunk instantly. He stared up at his mother, waiting, _hoping_ that she was just playing with him, or that she would say "Oh! That!" But she didn't. She stayed silent.

"You…You really don't remember?"

Miranda took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She leaned on the counter, her eyes no longer staring at him in confusion, but boring into him in an almost glowering manner.

"We agreed that we weren't going to talk about this anymore."

Jamie's nose wrinkled in bewilderment. What? Just a second ago, she was acting like the incident with Tooth never happened, and now, she was acting like they had "agreed not to talk about it anymore." What on earth—?!

It hit him.

She wasn't talking about the event with Tooth, because she didn't remember.

She was talking about his "fantasy."

Jamie couldn't pinpoint the exact emotion that he was feeling at that moment. Fear, anger, confusion, sadness…She honestly didn't remember what had happened. Everything that had happened with Tooth had just never happened to her. Not only that, but despite him being obviously confused and scared, did she comfort him? Did she ask him about what happened? No. She's automatically assuming that it was an act of disobedience.

Jamie pressed his lips together and said, slowly, with bitterness in every syllable, "I'm going to wait in the car."

For a split second when he turned, he saw his mother's expression shift from anger to confusion, possibly concern, as if she actually realized that her son was truly upset about something. He didn't care, though.

Honestly, he had way too much on his plate to care about his mother's attitude now.

* * *

"I saw you."

Katherine turned to Dr. Thaddeus expectantly. His eyes remained on the road as he explained, "I saw you talking to Jamie."

Katherine pouted and absentmindedly thumbed through the pages of the journal in her lap. "Phooey."

Dr. Thaddeus chuckled lightly. "You're not going to get past this eagle eye yet." The mirth in his face disappeared into a more serious expression. "Perhaps it's best if you don't talk to Jamie for a bit."

"Why not?"

"His mother is a bit…disagreeable with him at the moment. They should have it worked out in no time at all."

Katherine puffed her cheeks like a chipmunk and slowly blew the air from her lips. After a moment, she murmured, "I don't like Miss Bennett."

"Why not?" Dr. Thaddeus didn't sound shocked or scolding, instead purely interested.

"She's not really nice. Sometime, when she comes to pick up Jamie from school, and we'll be talking to him and she looks at us kind of creepy."

Dr. Thaddeus pursed his lips. He wasn't one for judging parents for their method of raising their children—unless they were _clearly_ in the wrong—but he knew that there was one thing that Miranda lacked when it came to Jamie: faith. She wanted so much control over Jamie that she lacked faith in her son. She didn't trust him to talk to someone for more than sixty seconds before he started talking about his tall tales.

"I don't get it," said Kate. "All he's doing is telling stories. He's not hurting anyone, right? He's not crazy?"

"Of course not. But Miranda is nothing if not stubborn. I trust that she'll come around eventually. Now, look—there's Nile."

Kate sat straight as the car pulled into the driveway. Nile Lux was sitting in Katherine's front yard waiting contentedly in the grass. Nile was a small, thin boy with pale skin, pale hair, and pale eyes—he practically glowed in the sunlight. Nile and Kate were almost inseparable. Every day after ten o'clock, Nile would appear to spend the day with Kate until evening, when he would finally walk home.

Dr. Thaddeus sighed as Kate threw open the car door and took off running for him. She held out her mitten-covered hands to him, helping him to his feet.

With one arm tucked under the bag of groceries, Dr. Thaddeus called, "You know where the key is, boy! Don't freeze yourself out here!"

Nile only nodded. Although not mute like Sanderson, Nile often spoke very little.

"Can we go?" called Kate.

As he unlocked the door, Dr. Thaddeus leaned back to reply, "Keep your phone handy and keep me updated!"

"Bye~!"

Kate took hold of Nile's hand, and the two took off for the town. Kate and her adoptive father's home was only a five-minute walk from the small town of Burgess, resting just past a street corner. They were free to roam the town as they pleased, just as long as A) They always called Dr. Thaddeus to tell him where they were, and B) They never went farther south than the Town Hall or farther north than the Atherton Bridge. Maybe it was a bit of a loose hold on parenting—Miranda certainly thought so and told Dr. Thaddeus several times. But at the same time, no one in town could deny that Dr. Thaddeus always seemed to know what he was doing.

Nile trotted forward to stand side-by-side with Kate rather than be pulled behind her. He tilted his head to the side and although he said nothing, Kate knew what he was saying.

"I want to find out more about Jamie's idea," said Katherine. "And we can't talk to him about it, so we'll just have to ask around."

* * *

Aster grunted as he set another wooden crate down. It was time for another delivery to The Clover, a special gift from his greenhouse at the farm. Aster had a natural green thumb, so he didn't need to worry too much about his crops and flowers dying away, but he knew that there were only so many things you could grow in a winter as cold as this. Patrick Klaver knew this too, which was why business between them got a bit complicated in winter.

Klaver nodded to him in thanks, thumbing through his bills until he managed to get the right amount. Aster stuffed the bills into his back pocket and starting towards his pickup. The cold bit at his nose and ears, but he honestly didn't care much for hats or stuffy layers or the like—just got in the way.

He went to the passenger's side first, opening the door to rearrange a basket of radishes in the seat. He closed it shut, and when he turned around, he jumped backwards, almost slipping on the ice.

"CRIKEY!"

Kate and Nile only glanced at each other as Aster took a deep breath of air. He stood straight, narrowing his bright green eyes at the two children. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," Kate murmured sheepishly.

Aster paused, his eyes turning from annoyance to curiosity. He brushed off a sheet of frost from the windows as he asked, "Kate n' Nile, right? Thaddeus's kids?"

Kate shook her head. Her brown curls bounced at the movement. "I am. Nile's just my friend."

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"We want to ask you about Jamie's stories."

Aster froze then, his hand still on the glass. When his eyes narrowed at the children, it showed simple interest, not a warning. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest, leaning against the car door as he asked, "Why?"

"Because his mom won't let us talk to him right now. We're curious."

Aster was clearly contemplating. This may upset Miranda, but at the same time, Miranda got upset over many things. Plus, she was nowhere around right now, and the kids were clearly just interested, not looking for a way to make fun of Jamie Bennett.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who were you?"

"The Easter Bunny." He sounded almost annoyed as he said this, as if he were disappointed that his "past self" was an animal that left eggs and candy for children and not something…cooler.

"And? What did you do?"

"What does the Easter Bunny do?"

Kate and Nile shared a glance before Kate slowly guessed, "He…leaves eggs for children to find?"

"Yep."

"Is that it?"

"I was a master of tai chi, used explosive eggs n' boomerangs as weapons, n' I was the 'Guardian of Hope.' Look, not that I'm mad or anything, but why the sudden interest, again?"

"I already told you. We're curious."

"Is that it?"

"We're children. Curiosity runs through our blood."

Aster paused a moment more, but eventually raised his brows and mused, "Fair enough. You two should go inside. It's way too cold out here."

"Where are you going next?"

"The Santoff Claussen. Why?"

"Can we go with you?"

Aster ran a cold, wet hand down his face with a low groan. "Please don't tell me that you're going on an investigation about this story."

Kate and Nile turned to each other. In unison, they turned back to Aster and shrugged, batting their eyelashes and smiling sheepishly.

"Of course." Aster stepped forward and leaned down to the children's level. With his hands on his knees, he said, lowly, "Listen, and listen good alright?"

Kate and Nile leaned forward expectantly.

"If anyone asks, I had nothing to do with this, alright? I didn't tell you anything."

Kate nodded in understanding. "If Miss Bennett asks, you had nothing to do with this."

"If _anyone_ asks."

Kate's big gray eyes went left, then right, then back to Aster. "Miss Bennett."

Aster's glower didn't cease at all as he jabbed a thumb behind him. "Get in."

* * *

**FLASHBACK**

* * *

The children had nowhere to run.

All sides were surrounded by shadows, pressing in on them almost teasingly. Every now and then, a limb would stretch out and try to scratch at them, eliciting a squeal that the shadows would only laugh mutely at. They were hardly even shadows, now that Katherine thought about it. They actually did have three-dimensional forms of matter, smoky and thick.

The Bear and the Spirit of the Forest were nowhere to be found. Even the sunlight had vanished. In the least, the limbs of the trees were trying to help. Thick arms of wood swayed and swung to ward off the shadows, to no avail. They were hardly managing to swat them.

Their only line of defense was the lantern. The shadows seemed only annoyed with the light, as if it were causing them discomfort.

Katherine couldn't think straight. Fear was pounding through her body. The children were screaming so close to her that their voices rang in her ears. Meanwhile, her eyes darted to and fro, trying to find a savior in the inky darkness surrounding them.

Just a moment later, a stream of silvery light shot down from above. It struck in the midst of the shadows, obliterating them as they howled in fury. The shadows scrambled in blind panic, all while more streams of light shot down. The children's fear was replaced with curious awe.

When it was all done, moonlight finally peeked through the canopy above. The light intensified, and Katherine shielded her eyes when something too bright to see appeared before them.

The light went soft, almost comforting, and Katherine peeked through her fingers at her savior.

* * *

**List of mythological beings already listed:**

Baby New Year

The Bogeyman

Cupid

Easter Bunny

Fae (Faries)

The Fates

Father Time

The Groundhog

Jack Frost

The Leprechaun

Mother Goose

Mother Nature

Oberon

Puck

Sandman

Santa Claus

Stingy Jack/The Pumpkin King/The Great Pumpkin

Tooth Fairy

Titania

Wild Hunt

**If you would like to expand the list, please do so.**


End file.
